Transformation
by VampireGirl1797
Summary: Scott and Stacey are twins, fraternal twins. Their best friend is Stiles Stilinski and they are both dragged out of bed to go searching for half of a dead body the night before sophomore year. Both are bitten. How will things change? Eventual Derek Hale OC. Stacey McCall is protective, sarcastic and when those she loves are threatened, she has one hell of a temper.
1. Wolf Moon

Chapter One

'Scott!' I shouted for the fifth time. He had his music blaring in his room and try as I might I hadn't been able to focus enough to read a single sentence.

'Scott!' Still no answer. With a huff, I threw my soft grey blanket off me and opened my bedroom door and walked straight into Scott's room without even knocking. He was going pull-ups on the bar that was attached to the doorway of his bathroom.

With a shake of my head, I walked over to his docking station and turned the volume down so low that you had to strain to hear it. He dropped from the bar and span around in surprise, but when he saw that it was me he relaxed.

'Don't do that!' Scott huffed, running his hands through his hair, 'you scared me!'

'Well if you hadn't had your music playing so damn loud you would have heard me shout your name the first time and I wouldn't have had to sneak up on you,' I retorted, my arms crossed over my chest and my brow lifted in challenge.

'Sorry. I needed to focus and I can only do that with the music loud.' Scott tried to reason with me.

'That's fair enough, but we've talked about this, Scott. If you want your music loud, use your headphones.' I told him, turning to leave the room, but we both paused when we heard something crack.

'Did you hear that?' Scott asked, reaching for the bat he kept next to his bedroom door.

'Yes.' I said, following after him as he made his way to the front porch. He swung the door open and lifted the bat, about to swing-.

'Ahhhh!' We both paused and sighed at the same time- we'd know that yell of surprise anywhere. Sure enough, Stiles Stilinski dropped from the balcony above us, hanging upside down.

'Stiles!' I scolded him, stepping forward to slap his shoulder, 'you scared us!'

'Scared you?' Stiles frowned, not understanding why we would have been anything but delighted about his sudden appearance, 'why do you have a bat?'

'I thought you were a predator!' Scott argued, his tone making me snort but when I saw the offended look on Stiles' face, my snort turned to full on laughter. Stiles glared at me, while Scott's lips twisted into a grin.

'What do you want anyway? I want a good nights sleep before school tomorrow.' I told him, giving him the same look I had been giving Scott in his room.

'My dad just took off, there's a search party in the woods. Jogger found a body.' Stiles smiled triumphantly, before he dropped into the bushes below him with a thud.

'I don't care.' Scott said, after we had made sure our best friend was okay, 'I want a good nights sleep too. I'm making first line this year, Stiles.'

Stiles scoffed and went to retort, but I cut him off.

'Wait, if they found the body, what's the search party for?'

Stiles smirked approvingly, 'they only found _half.'_

Scott and I shared a look, before telling Stiles we'd be five minutes. I was wearing my pyjamas, and Scott was only wearing sweatpants. I threw on some dark blue skinny jeans, black boots, black jumper and black leather jacket. Four minutes and thirty seconds later, we both barrelled down the stairs, locking the door behind us before climbing into Stiles' jeep. I slid into the back while Scott took the passenger side.

'Did you remember your inhaler?' I asked my twin.

He held it up for conformation before tucking it safely into his hoodie pocket. It didn't take us long to reach the reserve and the closer we got, the more I was thinking that this was a terrible idea. I didn't want to be the only one to chicken out though so I kept my mouth shut.

'We're here.' Stiles announced, turning off the ignition on his jeep.

'I have a really bad feeling about this, Stiles.' Scott said, and I found myself grateful that my twin had been the one to voice the problems that could easily arise in this situation.

'Me too.' I agreed, squeezing my brother's shoulder comfortingly.

'Guys… what could happen?' Stiles shrugged and climbed out of the jeep before we could tell him twenty different scenarios of what could happen.

'Sometimes, I wonder why he's our best friend.' I muttered.

Scott laughed, helping me climb from the back seat, 'you're not the only one, sis.'

We were walking in silence for a while, the only sound being the sticks cracking and the leaves rustling softly in the wind. I looked up to the sky and sighed; it was a full moon and the stars were shining brightly above us, lighting our way.

'I love full moons.' I murmured, only loud enough for the boys to hear me; neither were surprised with my remark.

'Stiles, what if the killer is still out here?' Scott asked and as soon as he said it, I took his hand in mine, needing reassurance that he was there and I wasn't alone. He squeezed my hand comfortingly as his other helped him use his inhaler.

'Huh.' Stiles said, looking to the ground in thought, 'I hadn't actually thought of that.'

He turned and carried on ahead, while Scott and I shared a frustrated look before following him. I was just about to give our best friend a piece of my mind when Scott pulled me behind a tree, my back against his front so that the bark could conceal us both. When I heard the barking, I knew why.

'Wait! This delinquent belongs to me!' Sherriff Stilinski shouted.

I peaked around the tree and saw the Sherriff take Stiles by his upper arm and pull him out of the dogs' path.

'Do you listen to all of my conversations?'

'Not the boring ones.' Stiles assured him, cringing when the Sherriff smacked the side of his head.

'And where are your usual partners in crime?'

'Scott? Stacey? They wanted to get a good nights sleep for school tomorrow.' Stiles waved his hand dismissively.

'Scott! Stacey!' The Sherriff shouted, clearly not believing his son. I pressed closer to Scott, praying that he didn't decide to venture a few feet, as he would spot us immediately.

'I'm going to walk you back to your car, and we're going to have a little talk about something called invasion of privacy.' The Sherriff said, his voice becoming quieter as he stepped away. Scott and I sighed in relief as we moved away from the tree stump.

'Now what?' I wondered, my arm linked through my brother's.

'Now we walk home.' Scott sounded about as happy about that as I did.

'Wonderful.' I groaned, 'lets just hope we don't run into any murderers on the way.'

'Stace, don't say that. You'll jinx us.' Scott said, completely serious.

We walked in comfortable silence for about five minutes. I was about to ask Scott about his summer reading when I heard a twig snap. My head whipped around as I tried to identify where it had come from, when I saw the deer coming our way, I pushed Scott to the floor and rolled into the fetal position, protecting my head. I felt a few hooves trample my abdomen and arms, but that was nothing compared to what could have happened. I stood when the footsteps faded away and offered Scott a hand. He reached into his pocked for his inhaler and looked completely panicked.

'My inhaler. It's gone.' He started to glance around frantically, pulling out his phone and turning on the torch.

'Woah. Calm down, Scotty. If it's here we'll find it but you won't do yourself any good if you work yourself into an attack before then.' My voice was soothing; I was used to having to calm him down, and when his shoulders slumped as the tension left them, my experience showed.

'You go left, I go right. But don't leave my sight, okay?' Scott said, his protective instincts appearing to kick in. I rolled my eyes, but gave him an assuring smile nonetheless.

I turned the torch on my phone on as well, and began looking around. Scott and I ended up making our way back to each other, having gone in a full circle, and our phones lit up the body at the same time. Scott and I both screamed and fell backwards, down the bank.

'Jesus Christ. I just had a heart attack.' I shouted, my hand on my chest as if that would somehow slow down the irregular rhythm.

'Tell me about it.' Scott muttered, offering me a hand this time. We both brushed the leaves off our clothing in silence. I was about to suggest to Scott that we do this when the sun was up when I saw something move in the distance behind him. Scott noticed my stare and turned around. Whatever it was, it was big and had red eyes, which was more than enough motivation for me to start running. Scott followed a few paces behind me. I glanced to my right and noted the creature was keeping up with us easily, and before I knew what was happening I felt a sharp sensation on my hip before I fell to the ground. It happened to quickly, I didn't have enough time to react, but I heard Scott cry out in pain and I jolted forward to try and get to him. The creature looked back over to me, it's skin was grey and slimy looking, it's iris' burned the same colour as the blood on it's fangs. I wondered what it was going to do, but before I could work myself up into a panic mode, it sprinted away and I moved over to Scott.

'Are you alright?' I asked him.

'Yeah. Did it bite you too?' He asked, sounding concerned.

'Yeah.' I muttered, resisting the urge to touch my side where the burning was coming from- I didn't want to make it even more painful.

'Let's get the hell out of here.' Scott breathed, taking my hand and pulling me out into the road, he must have been dazed because we had to jump back again when a red four by four almost collided with us.

'Let's see then!' Stiles said excitedly as we stood in front of the school with other students milling around us.

Scott and I lifted up our shirts to show the matching bite marks, both on our right side.

'Nice!' Stiles sounded gleeful.

'Not what I said when it happened.' I muttered dryly, the other two laughing at me.

'So what do you think it was?' Stiles asked.

'Scott thinks wolf, but-,' I started but Stiles cut me off.

'Wolves haven't been in Beacon Hills for sixty years.' He nodded in agreement as if he had never interrupted me. I shook my head fondly as we carried on walking.

'Well if you don't think it was a wolf, you wont believe us when we tell you we saw the body,' Scott grinned while I cringed at the reminder.

'Yeah I'm going to be having nightmares for at least a month.' I sighed while Scott nodded in agreement.

'This has got to be the best thing that has happened since…' he paused in thought, continuing when he saw a certain red head walk past him, 'since the birth of Lydia Martin! Lydia you look- like you're going to ignore me.'

Scott and I shared a grin as we made our way into the school, going to English as the final bell signalled the beginning of the school day. I sighed in frustration; I swear I could feel the exhaustion seeping into my bones already. We all took our seats, Scott the second row from the windows and me and Stiles on the row right next to the windows with Scott to our right.

'Alright, I'm sure you're all bustling with the news about the body that was found last night.' The teacher started, the three of us shared a smirk, 'but I'm here to tell you that they have a suspect in custody,' Scott and I looked over to Stiles and held his hands up to indicate that he didn't know anything about it, 'so you can give your full attention to the syllabus right in front of you.'

The rustling of the papers sounded abnormally loud, and I swear I could hear people chewing on their pens. Weird. I wondered if my immune system was going into shock briefly before I heard the shrill sound of a phone ringing. I looked around, wondering whom it belonged to, but nobody else seemed to be able to hear anything. Aside from my twin anyway. We shared a confused frown as we continued listening, watching a girl who was sat on a bench on the front lawn.

 _Mom three calls on my first day is a little overdoing it. Yeah, everything except a pen. Oh my god I didn't actually forget a pen. Okay, Okay I gotta to go. Love you._

The Principal approached her and they had a general conversation as they made their way into the school.

 _Sorry to keep you waiting. So, you were saying San Francisco isn't where you grew up?_

 _No but we were there for more than a year, which is unusual for my family._

 _Well hopefully Beacon Hills will be your last stop for a while._

The doors came up to the door of the classroom we were in and the Principal opened the door and led the girl inside. She was average height, thin with black hair that tumbled down to her waist. She was stunning, and from my bothers dumbfounded expression I could tell he thought so too.

'Class, this is our new student, Allison Argent. Please do your best to make her feel welcome.' With that, the principal left the room and Allison darted for the empty seat behind my brother as fast as she could. I gathered she was shy. The raven-haired girl had barely been seated for three seconds when my brother turned around and offered her a pen. Allison smiled at him and took it gratefully, Scott seemed awestruck as he turned around, while the new girl's smile faded and she frowned at the pen, probably wondering how he knew she needed it.

Deciding I needed to pay attention, I shifted my focus to the front of the classroom. Even if watching my brother develop a crush on the new girl was somewhat entertaining.

The rest of the day was a blur of Syllabi and Scott making googly eyes at Allison. Stiles and I found it entertaining though and had no trouble teasing him about it; it was fairly easy to get my twin to blush and it was one of my favourite things to do. Before I knew it, it was time for lacrosse try-outs, which I was not looking forward to. Scott was adamant he was going to play first line, and he had been working out over the summer and trying to improve, I just didn't know if it was going to be enough. I hoped it would be, no one deserved this more than Scott.

'Do you think he's going to make it?' Stiles asked from next to me on the bench. I wasn't trying out for the team, but I always sat with Stiles and Scott during practices and matches. Coach used to fight me on it, but now he had just given up.

'I want him to. But we'll see.' I winced when the coach blew his whistle, for whatever reason it sounded ten times louder than it usually did. I just barely resisted the urge to cover my ears, but my twin wasn't so lucky. He was much closer to the Coach, so the sound was even louder for him. He had his ears covered, but apparently that didn't lessen the pain as he fell to his knees soon after.

'Oh dear.' Stiles muttered and I internally agreed with him, but my ears were starting to tune in to the conversation behind me.

 _Who's that?_ Allison asked, it didn't take a genius to know she was gesturing to my brother (she wasn't the most discrete person.)

 _Oh, him? He's nobody._ Was Lydia's snarky reply.

I didn't get the chance to see if Scott heard because I was just about to turn around and chew Lydia's ear off when the sound of Stiles cheering stopped me in my tracks.

'What happened?' I asked, but before he could reply, I saw for myself. Scott had been put in goal and he was saving every single shot that was thrown at him. Even the ones Jackson the Jackass threw at him. Stiles and I were cheering loudly for him, not at all bothered by the looks we were probably getting.

 _He's very good._ Allison commented.

 _Yeah he is. Very good._ Lydia agreed, making me send a smug smirk her way over my shoulder.

As soon as practice was over, I ran straight over to my brother and gave him a bone-crushing hug.

'That was brilliant, Scotty! You're definitely making first line,' I laughed when he spun me around and pouted when he ruffled my hair.

'Nice job, man.' Stiles patted his shoulder.

 _Who is that?_ I heard Allison ask.

 _Oh, that's his twin sister._ Lydia said almost flippantly, and I wasn't surprised, me and her didn't exactly get along.

 _Twin?_ Allison sounded surprised, but didn't question it further.

Personally I was glad she found out before she approached Scott and called me his girlfriend- apparently siblings weren't as close as we were and nothing made me cringe more than people making that mistake, I swear. It didn't happen very often though, not since everyone got used to us in freshman year. Now we were just referred to as the "McCall Twins," which was fine with me.

'What happened out there, man?' Stiles asked, we were walking back through the woods trying once again to find Scott's inhaler.

'I don't know, it's like I had forever to catch the ball.' Scott admitted as he crouched to let me onto his back- we had to walk over a creek and I didn't want to get wet.

'You're the best Scotty,' I told him as he carried on walking; he cringed when I ruffled his hair.

'Well you're the worst,' he shot back.

'Hey!' I objected with a pout that made Stiles laugh.

'Have you been noticing anything weird though, Stace?' Scott's tone suddenly became serious.

'I've been hearing things I shouldn't have been able to hear. Allison's conversation with her mom first period, Lydia and Allison talking on the bleachers and I've been able to smell things too.' I said, my voice barely loud enough to be heard.

'Me too!' Scott sounded a mixture of worried and relieved.

'Smell things? Like what?' Stiles sounded curious.

'Like the gum in your pocket.' Scott said.

'Mint mojito, right?' I said casually as I rested my chin on top of Scott's head, wondering how long I could get away with him carrying me.

'I don't have any-,' Stiles paused as he looked through his pockets and pulled out a piece of gum, he looked between the both of us in shock.

'Woah. Do you know how great this is?' He sounded excited.

'No it's not. What if it's some kind of side effect from that bite we got last night?' I suggested, afraid that something terrible was happening.

'What if our systems are flooding with adrenaline before we go into shock?' Scott murmured, his tone indicating he wanted someone to offer another option, but I didn't have anything.

'That's it. We're dead. Stiles you better write us a good eulogy- people better be crying with laughter or sorrow you're choice.' I told him seriously.

'Shut up,' Stiles chuckled before pulling Scott to a stop- and me seeing as I was still on his back- 'I actually think I know what this is. Yeah… it's called lycanthropy.'

'Is that bad? It sounds bad.' Scott replied, his hands tightening on my legs in panic, I just rolled my eyes but decided to play along.

'Yeah it's only a problem once a month though. Right, Stiles?' I cocked my brow and Stiles sent me a smirk, impressed and amused that I'd caught on to him so quickly.

'Yep.' Stiles replied and then he howled. Scott realised the joke and set me to my feet before walking ahead in a huff, leaving Stiles and I laughing a few steps behind him.

'Come on Scott, I'm sure we're going to be fine.' I assured him, when he didn't turn around I jogged ahead and started walking backwards in front of him.

'I don't feel like I'm about to drop dead. Do you?' I asked, my brow cocked as I dared for him to contradict me.

He opened his mouth to reply but his eyes widened just as I walked into a tree. I stood still, not thinking much of it, I was honestly surprised I hadn't walked into one sooner if I was honest, but I didn't understand why the concern on Scott's face hadn't disappeared now that I had stopped, unharmed.

'What's wrong with you? You look like you're about to have a heart attack.' I snorted, noticing Stiles was wearing the same expression where he had come to a stop a few steps behind my twin.

'Okay you're not funny.' I said, my hands coming to a rest on my hips.

'Stacey, there's someone behind you.' Stiles said, once he had managed to find his voice.

'I'm not falling for that one again.' I huffed, irritated that of all the times he could try and scare me he had to do it now, in the woods.

'He's not kidding, Stace.' Scott confirmed, and call it twin-telepathy, but Scott had never been able to successfully lie to me, so I knew that in that moment, he was telling the truth. Scott took my hand and pulled me forward so that I was now stood in between him and Stiles, and face to face with a tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed stranger.

'What are you doing here? This is private property,' the stranger said, sounding completely pissed off.

Stiles went to speak but I cut him off before he could, 'sorry, we must have missed the sign.'

The man stared at me, his eyes like ice and his brow twitching in annoyance, which made me smirk.

'What she meant to say was- we're sorry we didn't know.' Stiles corrected me, sounding terrified.

'That's not what I meant to say at all.' I snorted, rolling my eyes when Stiles clamped his hand over my mouth.

'One of these days your mouth is going to get us killed.' Stiles murmured into my ear. I just shrugged- I couldn't help it.

'We'll just leave.' Scott said, moving to drag me away but before he could the stranger threw something in my direction and I caught it reflexively. I understood what Scott meant now- it was like I had forever to catch it.

'Thank you. But what makes you think it's mine?' I asked him curiously, when Stiles removed his hand from my mouth.

'It's not?' The stranger cocked his brow.

'No,' I handed it to my brother who took it and put it into his pocket.

The dark haired man looked surprised for a moment, but rather than responding he just turned and walked away. I shrugged and linked arms with my brother and Stiles as we started to make our way back to Stiles' jeep.

'Don't you remember him?' Stiles asked, sounding surprised.

'There was something familiar about him.' I admitted, but I just couldn't put my finger on it.

'That was Derek Hale, remember he's like a few years older than us.' Stiles said, reaching over to slap Scott out of his daze.

'I don't remember him,' Scott said, annoyed.

'I do. Cora was my best friend before that fire.' I said, my eyes glazing over as I remembered my friendship with the youngest Hale.

Scott and Stiles' arms tightened in mine by way of offering comfort, which I was grateful for. I hadn't dealt with that fire very well, being nine years old I hadn't experienced much loss, and being told that I was never going to see my best friend again was something I couldn't quite grasp.

'He must be in so much pain.' I murmured quietly; I had lost my best friend, but he had lost his entire family.

'He and his sister left after, everyone kept saying they were the ones behind it.' Stiles said.

'That's ridiculous! Cora always talked about how everyone in her family loved and supported each other, there is no way Derek or Laura were behind it.' My tone was sure and fierce.

'We know that, Stace.' Scott assured me, lifting me onto his back again before he and Stiles walked back over the creek.

Before I knew it, it was Friday night and the first week of school was over. I hadn't been able to spend much time with my twin or our best friend as if I wasn't doing homework or reading ahead, I was volunteering at the hospital. But Scott had been filling me in every night before we went to bed- he had made first line and he had secured a date with Allison that Saturday. Needless to say he was excited and nervous as hell. After he had told me about that, he had been trying to convince me to come to the party too and keep Stiles company- I was volunteering at the hospital until six, but I promised him I'd make an appearance after that.

'Are you alright, sweetie?' I looked up to see the worried brown orbs of my mom, Melissa McCall.

'Yeah, sorry I was just thinking about how much has happened this week,' I gave her a soft smile.

'Yeah it has been a little crazy,' she laughed, squeezing my arm affectionately.

I had been volunteering at the hospital all summer- while Scott wanted to be a veterinarian; I wanted to be a nurse like our mom. I didn't get to do much, mostly answering phones, organising paperwork and helping calm down patients in the waiting room. I had been allowed to stand in on a few operations, though. I of course hadn't been allowed to do anything, but I had been awed both by the work that Doctors were capable of and the amazing way that my mom worked- she was an angel and I was proud to be her daughter.

'How about you take off early?' She suggested, probably noticing my fidgeting and mistaking it for anticipation. But I wasn't excited for the party, my skin felt like it was stretching, a weird sensation to say the least.

'No, it's okay mom,' I tried to brush her off, 'I only have another thirty minutes left of my shift anyway, and I don't want to make a bad impression by ducking out early.'

'Honey, you volunteered every day of the summer, I can assure you, you're a million miles away from making a bad impression.' She nodded in assurance, a soft smile on her face.

'Regardless-,' I tried to argue, but she took the clipboard from my hand and basically ushered me from the hospital after giving me a parting hug.

I shook my head in amusement- my mom was a force to be reckoned with. I pulled my phone out of my pocket when I felt it vibrate. It was Stiles.

 _Need you to come by my house. ASAP._

 _On my way._ I replied, and set off to walk to his house, trying to ignore the feeling that I was being watched.

Scott and I reached Stiles' house at the same time and headed up to his room, only to see him pouring over a book, completely oblivious to our entrance. After sharing a mischievous look we moved forward quietly and jolted a shoulder each, making him jump up with a screech.

My twin and I laughed as we took a seat at the bottom of his bed.

'Yes you're both very funny,' Stiles said sarcastically.

'What's this about anyway?' Scott asked, placing his bag at his feet.

'Yeah did your dad find something to do with the body?' I added, lifting my feet onto the bed and crossing my legs.

'No-I mean yes- they're still questioning people- even Derek Hale.' Stiles muttered, looking at each of the books at his feet, apparently searching for a particular one.

'The guy in the woods we saw the other day,' Scott said, amused at how flustered our best friend was.

'Yes, but that's not it! This is about that joke I made the other day,' Stiles said, his eyes flickering between the both of us.

'Oh, well I forgive you.' I told him, frowning when he didn't respond and just continued to mutter to himself.

'Yeah, don't worry about it, Stiles.' Scott agreed.

'What? No! It's not a joke anymore.' His tone was serious and I was waiting for the moment that he was going to crack and laugh.

'Stiles, this isn't funny anymore, man.' Scott warned him.

'I'm not joking. I saw that play you made yesterday, Scott. Not only was it amazing, okay, it was impossible,' Stiles implored, trying to get us to believe him.

'So Scott makes one amazing play and you think he's a werewolf?' I scoffed, standing up and making a move to leave the room.

'Not just Scott, Stace. You too.' Stiles' voice was soft, which was a tone that he took on whenever he was trying not to provoke my temper.

'This is ridiculous, Stiles. Werewolves? Really?' I shouted, my temper unleashed.

'She's right Stiles. Man, I think you need to get some sleep.' Scott said gently, reaching for his bag.

'Alright, no! Listen to me- it's a full moon tonight. You both need to stay inside.'

Scott and I shared a look before Scott said, 'I made first line and I actually got a girl to go out with me. Why are you trying to ruin it?'

'And I need a night off, Stiles, I'm not staying inside because you have some insane idea that we're going to turn into supernatural creatures and start howling at the moon.' I crossed my arms over my chest as I glared at him.

'I'm trying to help. It's not just that the moon will cause you to physically change, it also happens to be that's when your bloodlust will be at it's peak.' Stiles shook his head, taking the book off his desk and reading, 'it says the change can be triggered by anything that raises your pulse. I haven't seen anyone raise your pulse like Allison does. And Stacey, your temper is bad on a good day; if you run into Jackson tonight your pulse will go through the roof. I'm cancelling that date and you're both staying in.'

He moved toward Scott's bag, searching for his phone. I just stood back and watched, not wanting to get in the middle of their spat. I had learned that they had to work through their anger on their own; interfering wouldn't do anyone any good.

'Give it to me!' Scott yelled, pinning Stiles to the wall and holding his fist up as if to punch him, but he came to his senses and knocked the chair over instead.

'Scott. Get off him. Now.' I ordered him, pulling him away with a hand on his shoulder and actually managing to get him to stumble. He looked in between Stiles, and me, his chest heaving with his breaths and when he saw the scared expression on his best friend's face, he looked remorseful.

'I'm sorry.' Scott said, reaching down and pulling his bag on over his shoulder, 'I'm sorry.' He said one last time before he left the room, knowing that I wasn't going to leave with him.

I walked over to Stiles and gently placed my hand on his shoulder, not wanting to startle him, 'are you okay?'

'Yeah,' he said, his voice cracked so he tried again, 'yeah I'm fine.'

'I think you might be right. About Scott anyway. Besides the hearing I haven't really noticed any changes.' I shrugged, rubbing Stiles' back comfortingly.

'That's because you haven't been getting pissed off, like Scott. He made that amazing shot in lacrosse after coach yelled at him, he attacked me after I said he needed to cancel his date. Anger and aggression triggers it.' Stiles told me, and for the first time I felt afraid, because he was right I was the angrier twin, and if someone really pissed me off I was a force to be reckoned with.

'Stiles-,' He must have heard the fear in my voice because he cut me off with a tight hug.

'We're going to have to go to that party tonight. It's a full moon and he'll be in a room full of possible victims.' I murmured after I had calmed down.

'I don't know if you being there is such a good idea, Stace.' Stiles shook his head.

'If Scott freaks out, you'll need me to calm him down and I'll need you to keep me human, too.' My tone booked no argument, and he reluctantly agreed.

I sighed as I rooted through my closet for something to wear. Parties weren't really my thing, and if I ever did go I never made an effort. That didn't stop me from spending ten minutes hoping an outfit would magically appear in my closet before I left though.

'Looking for Narnia?' My mom asked, leaning against the doorway of my room.

'More like Mall of America.' I muttered back, making her laugh.

I pulled out a faded black denim skirt and a white vest top.

'That's cute.' Mom assured me, 'you thinking your black combat boots and leather jacket?'

'Of course,' I said, over-exaggerating my tone, when I heard her chuckle I smiled as I slipped into my bathroom to get changed.

I slipped on my outfit quickly after denying my mom's offer to help with my make-up. I didn't usually wear more than mascara and chap stick and I didn't see the point in doing it differently for a party- it just took more time. After I had laced up my boots, I let my hair down from the bun I had it in for work at the hospital and let it tumble down over my shoulders. My hair was dark brown, like my brothers, and the loose curls reached down to my belly button, making my chocolate brown eyes pop against my olive complexion. After running my fingers through my hair and re-applying my chap stick, I was ready.

'Hey, Stace.' I looked up to see my brother standing in the doorway, twirling the keys around on his index finger.

'Hey bro. Nervous?' I guessed.

'Yes.' He said straight away, making me laugh.

'You'll be fine, just be yourself and she'll love you,' I assured him, squeezing his arm comfortingly.

'I hope you're right.' My twin sighed, 'do you need a ride?'

'As long as you don't mind your twin third wheeling,' I teased, laughing as his nose wrinkled at the thought.

'Yeah on second thoughts, you can walk,' Scott said, turning to leave.

'Hey!' I shouted, jogging after him and shoving him when I noticed his shoulders were shaking from his silent laughter.

'Knock it off you two! I want you both back by eleven!' Mom shouted from her room, but we both knew she wouldn't be here then- she had to be back at the hospital for ten.

'Sure mom!' We shouted together.

After introducing myself to my brother's date and watching my brother stare at her as if she were some long lost treasure, we eventually made it to the party. I hung back and walked over to the punch table while keeping a watchful eye on my brother. It didn't look like Stiles was here yet, but I didn't think he would be too much longer. I watched Allison drag my twin onto the dance floor, hiding a smirk behind my cup as he protested. But, predictably, he couldn't deny her and he was soon swaying awkwardly with her in the middle of the dance floor, plenty of other couples around them. I looked up to the sky and saw the moon rising, the feeling of my skin stretching was getting stronger and stronger the further it rose into the sky, but I shook it off and returned my gaze to my brother. He needed me right now. I needed to stay focused.

'Well, well, well. If it isn't the hot McCall,' an obnoxious voice drawled from behind me.

'Get lost, Jackson. I'm in no mood to deal with your arrogant face right now. Go and find your girlfriend. For whatever reason she can actually tolerate you.' I said, not even bothering to turn around.

When I felt his hand on my waist I grabbed it and turned, twisting his arm so that it rested behind his back and leaned forward to snarl into his ear, 'you _ever_ put your hands on me again, I'll break your arm. Do you understand me?'

He nodded and I let him go by throwing him forward with a force I didn't know I was capable of- he fell into a guy from the wrestling team and they both tumbled to the floor. The party watched, amused, as Jackson tried to apologise to him, but I was trying not to hyperventilate.

I found myself walking to the far wall, resting my back against it as I tried to crush down my anger and get my pulse to return to normal. Scott needed me, and for that reason I needed to calm down. But it was no use- the anger seemed to flourish inside of me and I knew that I needed to leave, so I darted for the door and noticed with a sigh of relief that my brother was heading for his car. I jumped into the passenger seat as he sped us home. I thought I could hear Stiles and Allison shouting after us, but I paid them no mind- my skin was stretching so much now that it was almost painful, my head felt like it was going to explode and the anger inside of me was finally bubbling down as pain took over.

'What is happening?' Scott cried as he haphazardly parked the car in the drive and we both jumped out and ran into the house.

'If Stiles is right, we're changing,' I groaned, heading for the bathroom attached to Scott's bedroom- neither of us wanted to be alone right now.

I looked up at my reflection and noticed the sweat on my brow, but what made me freak out were the fangs growing in my mouth and the fact that my eyes were glowing a golden colour. I turned around and looked over to my twin to notice he was experiencing the same changes I was, when he saw my face he looked at his own reflection before flinching away in disbelief.

'Scott! Stacey!'

'Where's Allison?' Scott groaned out while I sat on the floor with my head between my knees.

'She got a ride home from the party. Let me in, is Stacey in there with you?'

'I'm here Stiles.' I confirmed.

'He's like us Stiles!' Scott shouted.

'What? Who is?'

'Derek! He was the one who bit us, who killed that girl in the woods.' Scott was getting more and more frustrated.

'Scott… Derek was the one who gave her a ride from the party.' Stiles admitted somewhat reluctantly.

Scott dove out of the window without another word and I went after him, ignoring Stiles' shouts of horror. I didn't know if Derek had been the one to attack the woman in the woods, but I was hoping that the Derek Hale that Cora used to gush about when we were children was still in there somewhere, and I refused to believe he'd turned into a cold hearted killer.

'Scott!' I tried to get him to slow down, but he wouldn't listen, so I gave up trying to reason with him and just followed, running on all fours just like he was. I was startled to find that it came naturally. I realised where he was going when we entered the reserve where we had been bitten almost a week ago.

'Derek!' Scott roared, as he stood on his feet, looking around him. He caught sight of something hanging on a tree, I noticed it looked like a jacket and apparently it was one Scott recognised, 'where is she?'

'She's safe.' A voice answered, I looked around trying to figure out where it was coming from, 'from you.'

Before Scott could react, Derek appeared out of nowhere and dragged him to the ground, both of them rolling down the hill below. I followed them with a roll of my eyes- boys.

When I reached the bottom at a much slower pace, Derek had my brother pinned to a tree and the defeated look in Scott's eyes stirred my protective instincts. I placed my hand on Derek's shoulder and threw him backwards. I went to help my twin up, but before I could I found myself pinned to the ground, with Derek on top of me.

'Get off her!' Scott yelled, pissed off all over again.

I tried to push against his chest to get him to release me, but he wouldn't budge. I was contemplating kneeing him in the groin when his voice stopped me in my tracks.

'Quiet!' He snapped, looking around as if he were listening for something, his lips tilted down in annoyance, 'too late. They're already here. Run.'

Derek was gone from on top of me before I could react and Scott was helping me up. We went to run, just as he said, but we clearly went in the wrong direction as something hit the tree in front of us and exploded, the bright lights blinding me temporarily with a cry of pain. I heard something soaring through the air, but before I could question what it was my twin was crying out in pain and I looked over to find him pinned to a tree with an arrow in his arm.

I moved over to him immediately and tried to pull it out, but ended up letting out my own cry of pain when an arrow went through my abdomen, also pinning me to the tree. I felt my eye sight return to normal and looked up to see three men, carrying crossbows and guns as they stepped forward into the moonlight. The one in the middle appeared to be the leader as after assessing us with his blue eyes he smiled and ordered the other men to 'take them.'

I growled low in my throat, angry with them and protective of my twin. I yanked the arrow from my stomach and tossed it to the ground. The leader was about to shoot me again but when one of his men went flying he turned around to see what was happening, only to see the other man go flying into a tree with enough force to knock him unconscious. I turned and pulled the arrow from my brother's arm and pushed him forward to follow Derek. We all broke out into a run as we put as much distance between the men and us as we could. Eventually, Derek decided it was safe and came to a stop, turning around to face us.

Scott was on the floor, resting his back against a tree stump as he tried to get is breath back. I wasn't out of breath- I was captain of the track team so the running didn't phase me- but I was starting to feel the pain from the arrow in my abdomen.

'Who were they?' Scott asked.

'Hunters.' Derek said, his eyes seeming to be assessing me and Scott, 'they've been hunting our kind for centuries.'

'Our kind? You mean your kind- you did this to us!' Scott shouted.

'Will you shut up, unless you want another arrow through your arm? If you shout loud enough maybe they'll come back,' I hissed, leaning against the tree as I lifted my shirt to assess my stomach, it appeared to be healing but it still stung like a bitch.

'Sorry,' Scott grunted, managing to stand on his feet but he was still leaning heavily against the tree.

'It'll heal,' Derek assured me as he noticed my wound, I gave him a nod of thanks as I dropped my shirt and went over to my brother.

'Are you alright, now you've had your temper tantrum?' I asked him, unable to keep the sarcasm from my voice, as I looked at the wound on his arm.

'You are in no position to talk to me about temper tantrums,' Scott gave me a look that made me chuckle.

'Yes, but it's expected from me. Not from you,' I said softly.

'I don't know what came over me,' he admitted sheepishly.

'It's because you've only just turned. You'll learn to control it.' Derek assured us, reminding us of his presence.

'Thank you for saving us.' I said, smiling gently, he seemed surprised but nodded in acknowledgement.

'You're thanking him, he did this to us, Stace!' Scott said, his voice barely below a shout.

'Is it really so bad, Scott? That you can see better, hear more clearly, move faster than any human could ever hope? You've been given something that most people would kill for. The bite is a gift.' Derek said, stepping closer to the both of us as he spoke.

'I don't want it.' Scott said, and I knew he was lying- he didn't want what came with it, the full moons, the aggression, and the transformation. But he wanted the better senses.

'You will.' Derek assured him, as if he could tell he wasn't being truthful as well, 'and you're both going to need me if you want to learn how to control it. So you two and me, we're siblings now.' He smirked before turning and walking away.

'Well that was intense. He sure knows how to sell Lycanthropy, huh?' I muttered, trying to lighten the mood as we started walking. I glanced at my watch and noticed it was well past two in the morning- there was no way we were going to make it home before the sun came up.

Scott chuckled, 'he definitely needs to work on his sales technique.'

We both walked, managing to find our way out of the woods and onto the side of the road pretty quickly, the only trouble was that our house was a five-mile walk. Daylight soon greeted us, and I could have cried in relief when Stiles' blue jeep met us on the side of the road.

'Stiles Stilinski, our saviour!' I greeted him as I climbed into the back seat, he laughed at my dramatics before he started to drive after Scott had closed the passenger door.

'That has a nice ring to it.' He commented, making me roll my eyes.

'I'm not going to start calling you that.' I said before he could even ask, when he groaned, I laughed only to immediately wince at the pain in my abdomen.

We had been sitting in comfortable silence for about half an hour when Scott broke it with a question that made me want to smack him upside the head.

'Do you know what actually worries me the most?'

'If you say Allison I'm going to punch you in the head.' Stiles said, looking like he was already considering it.

'I'll hold him still,' I offered.

'She probably hates me now!' Scott sounded worried.

'I doubt that,' I muttered.

'But you might wanna come up with a pretty amazing apology,' Stiles shook his head at his best friends line of thought.

' _Or_ you could just tell her the truth and revel in the awesomeness of the fact that you're a freaking werewolf,' Stiles said, looking to Scott's expression and the road. My twin just gave him a look while I laughed.

'That's very true. I can't believe it,' I shook my head, astonished.

Scott didn't look encouraged by the fact and Stiles and I shared a look before I leaned forward and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

'We'll get through this, Scotty.' I promised him, because we would, we got through everything.

His hand rested on mine as he nodded.

'If I have to I'll chain you up on the full moons and feed you both live mice. I had a boa once I could do it.' Stiles assured us.

'While that was a disgusting visual, that's actually very sweet Stiles.' I squeezed his shoulder with my free hand while he just waved my praises off.

'You're a good friend, Stiles.' Scott agreed, his head resting on the window, staring at the passing scenery as his hand remained over mine.

'So what's his apology?' Stiles asked as we watched Scott waiting for Allison at the front of the school.

'No idea. I gave him some options but he told me he was just going to wing it.' I said, trying to tune my hearing in on their conversation as Allison walked from the front doors, heading towards her car.

 _So what happened you left me stranded at the party?_ I winced at her tone- this wasn't going to be pretty.

 _Yeah, I know and I'm really sorry, I am. But you're gonna have to trust that I had a really good reason._ I shook my head at how evasive he was being- he really couldn't lie if his life depended on it.

 _Did you get sick?_

 _I definitely had an attack of something._ Oh, Scott you are such an idiot.

 _Am I gonna get an explanation?_ She demanded.

 _Can you just find it in your heart to trust me on this one?_

 _Am I gonna regret this?_

 _Probably._ Scott nodded and Allison laughed, making my brows lift in surprise- was this actually going to work?

 _So is that a yes on a second chance?_ He sounded hopeful and I held my breath for him.

 _Definitely yes._ She said and I grasped Stiles' arm to stop myself for jumping up and down on the spot, but a relieved laugh did escape my lips. A car horn beeped and Scott and Allison looked over to see who it was. So did I and when I recognised him, my heart jumped to my throat.

'Shit. Shit. Shit.' I muttered.

'What? Did she blow him off?' Stiles asked, not understanding what was going on.

'That man. He's one of the hunters from last night.' I breathed, darting over to my brother after he had drove away with Allison.

'What?' Stiles shouted after me, but made no move to follow.

After talking with Scott for a few minutes, he left for practice while my blood felt like it had turned to ice. Allison's father was a hunter. There was one thing I was certain of: we were both absolutely fucked.


	2. Second Chance At First Line

Chapter Two

I was sat, alone on the benches, watching my brother's after school practice. But I was still reeling about what had just happened. Allison's father was one of the hunters from last night. It was official- we had the worst luck imaginable. What was Scott going to do? The idea of telling him to break it off with her had crossed my mind more than once, but I knew that it wouldn't go down well. Scott had never had a girlfriend before, so I knew he would be more reluctant to let her go because of who her father was. I just hoped he didn't recognise him from last night, because if he did there was a slim chance he was preparing all his weapons to follow me and Scott home after school.

'McCall. My grandmother can move faster than that. And she's dead. Do you think you can move faster than the lifeless corpse of my dead grandmother?' Coach's voice boomed so loud that I wouldn't have needed supernatural hearing to know what he was saying to my brother.

'Yes coach.' My brother said just as loudly, his breathing becoming heavier. I sat up, concerned and knowing exactly where this was going.

'What was that?' Coach taunted.

'Yes coach!' He bellowed, making his way back to the front of the line.

I watched, on the edge of my seat, anxious about how this was going to play out. Jackson was wearing a smug smirk that I had to force myself to ignore or the urge to wipe it off his face would have become more literal. Scott ran forward and shoulder barged him, making Jackson land on the ground with a soft thud. My twin fell to his knees moments later and I sprinted over to him, glad that everyone else's attention was on Jackson.

'Scotty?' I murmured, my hand rubbing circles into his back, ' you need to breathe, focus on my heartbeat. Only my heartbeat.'

'What's going on?' Stiles asked, crouching down on the other side of him.

I lifted a finger to my lips, indicating for him to be quiet.

'Just breathe, match your breathing and your pulse to mine.' I murmured, my voice gentle and soothing. I heard his breathing slow down to a more relaxed rhythm, and when he met my eyes they were his usual chocolate brown instead of glowing gold.

'What happened? Did you change?' Stiles said, standing when Scott and I did.

'I'm okay.' Scott assured us, unclipping his helmet and holding it under his arm, 'what about him?' He gestured in Jackson's direction to see him being escorted off the field by coach and Danny.

'Who cares?' I shrugged, smiling sheepishly when my brother gave me a look, 'he's a tool, and it's about time he got his own back on the field.'

'She has a point you know.' Stiles slapped his shoulder as he and my twin headed for the lockers.

'I'll wait in the jeep.' I said, giving Stiles a sweet smile that made him roll his eyes, but he handed over the keys anyway so I called it a win.

I was just about to unlock Stiles' beloved Jeep when the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I turned around. I scanned the parking lot- I could have sworn I felt like someone was watching me, but there wasn't a soul to be seen. With a frown and a shrug I moved to spin back around only to scream when I saw Derek already leaning against Roscoe. He quickly placed a hand over my mouth, and his other hand rested on my hip. I huffed against his hand and debated running my tongue across his palm, but for some reason I didn't think it would have the same effect it had with Stiles. He gave me a look as if asking if I were going to scream again and I just rolled my eyes in response.

He released me and I shoved his chest- it had no effect of course seeing as he already had the Jeep behind him but it helped get some of my anger out.

'What the hell was that! If you wanted to talk to me saying my name works just fine, Derek!' I yelled, crossing my arms over my chest.

'You need to stop your brother from playing the game on Saturday.' He said, foregoing any form of apology.

I scoffed, 'yeah, next joke.'

'He just changed in front of them, and you may have been able to get him to calm down this time but if it happens during a game you're hardly going to be able to get him to turn back without anyone noticing.' Derek insisted, stepping closer. I assumed he was trying to intimidate me, but all he was doing was pissing me off.

'Okay, _Derek,'_ I virtually hissed his name I was that annoyed, 'you do not get to come over here telling us what we can and cannot do! You're the one that was for teaching us control and yet you've made no attempts to help us, so you can take your orders and shove them up your-.' I cut myself off when I feel my eyes change and my fangs grow. He'd pissed me off that much I was changing.

'Dammit. Move!' I shouted, trying to get into the Jeep.

'You want to learn control?' Derek asked, not budging from his place in front of the door, 'then do exactly what you just did with your brother. Breathe. Focus on the closest pulse to you and match your heartbeat to theirs.'

I growled in frustration and went to shove him out of the way but he just caught my wrists and held them firm, his eyes glowing at mine in warning. I slumped in his hold and closed my eyes, following his guidance, my hearing tuned into and concentrated on the steady _thump thump thump_ of his heartbeat, my breathing matching his. I didn't know how long I was stood there for, but eventually I felt his grip loosen on my wrists, making me open my eyes, but he didn't release me completely.

'There you go.' Derek nodded and I gathered that was as much commendation I was going to get, which made me smile.

'Thank you.' I murmured, my voice barely audible.

'I'll talk to Scott myself. Don't tell him I was here.' Derek said, though his tone was a lot less ordering and more pleading, I gave him a nod to let him know I consented and he released my wrists completely and turned to leave.

It was much later, when Scott and I had been at home for a while, that I realised why Derek didn't want me to say anything to Scott- he wanted the element of surprise. But of course, I didn't know that, so when Scott screamed I sprinted to his room to see what was happening, when I saw him being pinned to the wall by Derek I rolled my eyes. As soon as I entered, he released my brother and leapt into the night.

'Seriously. Did he ever think that _asking_ and _explaining_ might be a better method?' I cocked my brow at the window Derek had left through.

'I need to find a way not to play in this game on Saturday, or Derek is going to kill me.' He said sounding completely defeated.

'Oh really?' I asked, I felt my eyes flash and cursed myself internally.

'Stacey,' Scott said, sounding like he was trying to calm me down.

I sighed and shook my head, when I opened my eyes again I was in control.

'How did you do that?' Scott questioned.

'The same way I calmed you down earlier. Focusing on my breathing and steadying my pulse.'

'Can you teach me? Maybe if you do, I can play on Saturday! They're counting on me because Jackson has a separated shoulder and mom's taking the day off to come and see me play and-,' He started rambling in desperation until I cut him off with a hand to his shoulder.

'I can help you come back from the transformation, but I don't know how to stop it from happening all together, and helping you come back isn't going to help if you go all Wolverine on the field.' I shook my head remorsefully.

He sighed in defeat and dramatically collapsed onto his bed, 'I'm so screwed.'

I fell beside him; mirroring his sigh, 'tell me about it.'

The week flew by once again, and seeing as I was busy with doing a few shifts at the clinic with Scott- the volunteering I did on the weekends, but the clinic I did weekdays, it helped me earn a wage- and doing homework, and reading ahead, before we knew it, it was the day before game day and as of this morning, Scott had yet to tell coach he wouldn't be playing.

'What do you think's gonna happen?' Stiles asked as we walked to math- Scott was usually with us but he'd gone to talk to coach.

'Honestly, I don't think coach will let him out of it,' I shrugged taking my seat next to Stiles at the back of the classroom.

'Well, if Scott straight up says he's not playing, he can't make him. Can he?'

I just gave him a look and he sighed as if realising that I might actually be on to something. When Scott walked in a few minutes later, looking even more stressed than before, my suspicions were confirmed.

'So…' Stiles trailed off as Scott took his place in front of me.

'I play tomorrow or I'm on the bench for the rest of the season.' He told us, looking extremely pissed off.

'McCall and Martin, up to the board please.' The teacher announced, I could tell he meant Scott, but seeing as he hadn't clarified I decided to take one for my brother, squeezing his shoulder as I passed him.

I accepted the chalk from the teacher with a smile and started to work on the problem, completely ignoring Lydia next to me, or at least I tried to.

'Why is there a rumour going around that your brother isn't playing tomorrow?' She asked, not even looking away from her working out.

'How would I know? I'm not the one that starts the rumours in this school, Lydia. They usually originate from you,' I smiled sarcastically at her as I finished off my problem.

'Still touchy over freshman year I see,' she muttered snidely.

I rolled my eyes, but otherwise remained silent.

'How about this, you make sure your brother plays tomorrow, and I'll make sure no more… _nasty_ rumours about you and the basketball team emerge over the weekend.'

I laughed darkly, 'oh Lydia, you really didn't learn anything from last time, did you?' I glared at her, trying to keep my breathing level, 'you come at me and I come at you.' I leaned over to her and whispered, 'ten times worse.'

I saw her mask of arrogance drop for a moment to show a flicker of fear in her eyes before it was up again. But it was too late, I'd seen it and after writing the final answer on the board I handed the chalk back to the teacher and went back to my seat with a happy smile.

'Stace-,' Scott tried to talk to me, I assumed he had heard the entire conversation.

'I don't want to hear it, Scott. Your decision about playing in this game better not change because of her,' I jutted my chin in Lydia's direction, 'you know I can handle it.'

His eyes observed me for a moment, as if he were looking for some sign of dishonesty before he realised that there wasn't any. He nodded and turned to face the front of the room as the teacher assigned us some more problems to do.

We were walking out of math and headed for our next class when Scott spotted Allison and decided to go over to talk to her. Stiles and I hung back until he noticed his dad talking to the principal. He dragged me to the bottom of the staircase and asked me to tell him what they were saying.

 _We want everyone under eighteen to be in their homes by nine thirty. This is effective immediately…_

'Curfew because of the body.' I informed him and Scott as the former joined us at the bottom of the staircase.

'Unbelievable. They're out there looking for the killer when he's just running around, doing whatever he wants.' Stiles shook his head in disbelief.

'I hope you're not talking about Derek.' I gave him a disapproving look and he looked at me as if I were insane.

'Yes I'm talking about Derek. He killed her and the police are no closer to finding her killer.' Stiles said, gesturing frantically with his hands.

'Okay, even if we had proof-,' I started but I was interrupted.

'We'll get proof. We're gonna find the other half of the body.' Stiles declared.

'Are you insane?' Scott and I shouted after Stiles' retreating back- he had just wondered off.

Scott looked down the corridor and when I followed his gaze I groaned- he was staring at Allison.

'Come on, you were _just_ talking to her.' I complained as he started walking in her direction until I heard his next words.

'That's her jacket- from the night of the full moon.'

'If she has it then that means…' I followed his train of thought and realised why he was so concerned- Derek had to have bought it back for her.

'Lydia's introducing you to everyone?' Scott said by way of greeting as we approached his girlfriend.

'She is being so unbelievably nice to me.' Allison gushed, holding her black jacket over her arms.

'I wonder why.' I muttered, but apparently didn't go unheard by her.

'Maybe she knows how much being the new girl can suck.' She smiled and I couldn't help but smile back- Allison was really sweet, that was for sure.

'Where did you get that?' Scott asked her, gesturing to the jacket in her arms. I placed my hand on his arm, silently telling him to cool down.

'My jacket? It was in my locker. I think Lydia bought it back from the party she knows my combination so-,' She said, but she was cut off by my twin, my hold on his arm tightened as a result.

'Did she say she bought it back or did somebody give her the jacket?' Scott demanded and I shook my head with a sigh at his behaviour- subtlety was _not_ his friend.

'Like who?' Allison was confused, and I couldn't blame her.

'Maybe Derek?' I cut in, hoping Scott would calm down he had no reason to be going all alpha male on her.

'Your friend?' She clarified, looking in between the both of us. Scott went to answer but I squeezed his arm, imploring for him to stay silent.

'I wouldn't say friend… our dad used to be friends with his mom years ago before… everything.' I lied smoothly, not wanting to attract the wrong types of questions.

'Oh, well, we didn't really talk in the car. He had the radio on the whole time and the only thing he asked was where I lived.' She shrugged with a smile; I could feel my twins anger growing.

'Oh, well I'm glad he gave you a ride home. I'll remember to thank him when I see him.' I smiled, pulling Scott's arm, 'come on, we've got to get to the clinic.'

'Oh you're working tonight?' Allison asked, ignoring the students who were leaving after the final bell.

'Yeah, he had to swap so he could have tomorrow off and I work in the week anyway.' I shrugged; I could definitely see myself being friends with her, she was really easy to talk to.

'Have fun. See you tomorrow night.' She smiled at Scott and I pulled him away before she could get disappointed at his lack of a response- he was lost in anger in that moment.

'Come on you idiot. Do you realise how badly that could have gone?' I asked him as he stormed over to his bike, accepting the spare helmet from him.

'I don't care.' Scott muttered, helping me balance on the back of his bike.

'Where are we going?' I yelled, not liking how fast he was peddling, but he didn't answer and when we entered the woods, I couldn't help roll my eyes. Of course he wanted to confront Derek. I had a sneaking suspicion that if I hadn't been on the back he would have tossed his bike to the side as soon as he got there. But thankfully, he hadn't been that lost in his anger and he gave me time to step off before throwing his bike, his helmet and his bag away.

'Was that necessary?' I muttered, knowing he wasn't going to answer me.

'DEREK!' He yelled taking a few steps up to the house, but freezing when the wind blew in our direction and I knew why- it smelled like blood. With a frown my gaze fell to the side of the house where I saw freshly dug up soil, a shiver ran down my spine as the image of the dead girl popped into my head. I really hope that wasn't what he had buried.

I looked back to the house and nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw Derek standing there.

'Stay away from her!' Scott found his voice and had no trouble voicing his demands, 'she doesn't know anything!'

'Yeah?' Derek stepped off the porch and jumped down onto the earth, stepping over to us as he spoke, 'what if she does? You think your little buddy Stiles can just Google werewolves and now you've got all the answers, is that it? You don't get it yet, Scott but I'm looking out for you.' His eyes flickered over to me a few steps behind my brother, 'both of you. Think about what could happen. You're out on the field, the aggression takes over and you shift in front of everyone.' He stared at my twin, probably looking for a sense of horror over the possibility of that happening, but Scott just looked like he was getting more and more annoyed.

Derek glanced down and picked up Scott's lacrosse stick and started gesturing with it as he spoke, 'your mom, all your friends and when they see you…' He poked Scott in the chest with the stick and he batted it away. Scott watched in horror as Derek's claws grew and sunk through the netting on his lacrosse stick 'everything falls apart.' He threw the stick in the air for Scott to catch, when we looked over to where he was standing moments before… he was gone.

'What is it with guys breaking things when they're angry?' I sighed, taking the stick from Scott to inspect the damage, 'this can be fixed.'

'I know. We need to call Stiles.' Scott said, his voice grave as he helped me climb onto the back of his bike once more.

'Why?' I held onto his shoulders as he started peddling, a lot calmer than the journey up here.

'I'll explain when we get home.' As soon as he said that, I knew it was something he didn't want Derek to hear, which meant whatever it was, wasn't something good.

I was sat next to Scott on his bed, just finishing up the required reading for economics when Stiles cam barrelling into the room. Scott was just finishing mending his lacrosse stick and we both looked up to Stiles with matching expressions of amusement.

'What did you find? How did you find it? Where did you find it? And yes, I've had a lot of Adderall so…' his eyes twitched as he finished speaking, making me chuckle quietly.

'We found something at Derek Hale's.' Scott said and I silently closed my book, knowing I wouldn't be able to concentrate anymore.

'What are you kidding? What?'

'There's something buried there. We smelled blood.' I informed him, wrinkling my nose as I recalled the scent.

'That's awesome!' Stiles exclaimed, making me snort before he amended himself, 'I mean that's terrible! Who's blood?'

Scott stood from the bed while I remained seated, 'I don't know. But when we do, your dad nails Derek for the murder and then you help me figure out how to play lacrosse without changing.'

'This is such a bad idea.' I groaned lying back on the bed and looking at the ceiling, 'there are a million reasons why we smelled blood- he could have cut himself and he'd just buried a time capsule or something.' I looked up to see both of the guys giving me disbelieving looks making me huff, 'I'm sorry, but I just can't picture the big brother Cora used to rave about as a murderer.'

Scott's eyes softened and he sat next to me on the bed, pulling me into sitting position, 'I know, Stace, but if he did kill that girl then he deserves to be bought to justice for it.'

'Can't we just ask him?'

Scott frowned while Stiles out right laughed, 'if you'd murdered someone, would you outright admit it?'

'I see your point. I'll help, but for the record this is a stupid idea.' I said, standing up with help from Stiles.

Scott ruffled my hair as we made our way out the door. We made our way out to Stiles' Jeep and headed to the hospital. I definitely had a bad feeling about this.

'This way.' I grabbed Scott's elbow and led him in the direction of the morgue- I had been down there a few times to help mom wheel a body in for autopsy and it gave me the creeps every time.

'I'll wait here,' Stiles gestured to the reception desk and we left him with a nod.

It didn't take us long to reach the morgue, I managed to discretely hide my face from anyone who would have recognised me- I didn't need anyone asking me questions about what I was doing down here without an escort. It would have gotten me reported. When we finally reached the room, Scott led me in by my hand that was shaking slightly over what we were about to do. I pointed to the container labelled "Jane Doe" and Scott carefully and slowly pulled it open and pulled back the white cloth covering it. I took a breath the same time Scott did, and tears formed in my eyes as I recognised the scent- it was the same as the one I had smelled on Derek's property and from the look on Scott's face, he realised that too.

After the body was covered just as carefully as it had been before, we left the morgue and went back upstairs to find Stiles, who was stuck reading a pamphlet on "the menstrual cycle" as he very plainly stared at Lydia. I pulled the paper out of his face, giving him a "really?" look, smirking when his cheeks tinted red.

'The scent was the same.' Scott said bluntly.

'Are you sure?' Stiles stood up and looked between the both of us.

'Yes.' Scott said, while I nodded my confirmation.

'So he _did_ bury the other half of his body on the property.' Stiles said, his tone disbelieving.

'It's starting to seem that way, yes.' I agreed.

'Which means we have proof he killed the girl.' Scott sounded like he was looking for approval from Stiles.

'Not technically. The police aren't just going to dig up his property on a hunch, they'd need hard evidence.' I interjected, looking in between them both as I tried to figure out what they were thinking.

'Well it's a hunch we're going to use.' Stiles said, making his way for the exit, only to stop at Scott's question.

'How?'

'Tell me something first. Are you doing this because you want to stop Derek, or because you want to play the game and he said you couldn't?' Stiles asked, staring at Scott impassively.

'There were bite marks on the body, Stiles. Bite marks.' Stiles nodded, pleased with the answer and I shivered as I the image of the half of the body we had found jumped into my head again.

When we got into the Jeep, Stiles informed us of his plan and I straight up refused to be involved- if they wanted to go digging up the body when it was pitch black that was on them. But the very idea of seeing her eyes staring at me again was enough to make my stomach churn, so after I told them both to be careful and keep me updated, I took the car keys from Scott and got dropped off at home. I forced myself to get lost in my homework, and thankfully I was completely absorbed in the task and managed to get it all finished in just under an hour. I was debating continuing with reading ahead in English when my phone chimed with a text.

 _We're almost done, but we could do with a look out. The longer we take the more I'm worried Derek's going to show up._

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. On one hand, I was terrified of seeing the body again, but on the other my brother needed me and I had yet to deny him when he outright asked me for help, even if I still had a niggling feeling at the back of my brain telling me that Derek didn't do this.

 _I'm on my way. I'll be about thirty minutes- I'll have to fill up the car first._

 _Thanks, Stace._

I pulled on my leather jacket and grabbed the car keys off my bed where I had thrown them earlier. Once I was sure I had my phone, I headed off. Tonight was a rare night that mom had off, and she had already handed the keys over to Scott because she knew she wouldn't be going anywhere- she usually used the time off to catch up on sleep and just relax, which neither of us could hardly blame her for. I had been saving up my wages at the clinic for a few years now- I didn't have much it was about five hundred dollars- just for when mom had any financial emergencies. She worked as many hours as she could, but it still wasn't enough when raising two teenagers, so without her knowing I intercepted a bill and paid it every now and then just to help her out, and I never asked her for any money- if I couldn't afford it myself, I didn't have it. It was that simple.

I snapped out of my thoughts as I pulled into the gas station. The cold air was biting as I stepped out of the car to fill up, though I hardly noticed it anymore- a benefit of being a werewolf I supposed. I glanced up when I heard another car pull in and I admired the black Camaro for a moment before my gaze returned to my fuel pump. I hated filling up at night- I had seen too many horror movies and heard about too many horror stories to have a million different scenarios rushing through my head and I found myself willing the gas to fill up the tank faster.

I heard the distinctive sound of a door opening and closing before another fuel pump whirred to life and I felt my shoulders relax a little- if whoever it was was getting gas then they probably weren't going to kidnap me. _Probably._ When I heard she distinctive click of the gas cutting off I eagerly pulled it out and placed the fuel cap back on, I was about to turn to pay when I noticed whom the other person was.

'Are you following me?' I asked, my arms crossed over my chest as I cocked my brow.

'No.' Derek didn't even look in my direction as he waited for his tank to fill up.

'Alright,' I shrugged and turned to pay my bill- he clearly didn't want to talk to me and I wasn't going to waste any energy getting him to try, plus I wanted to avoid the guilt that was starting to blossom in my stomach because of what I knew Scott and Stiles were doing in that very moment.

Once the bill was settled, I drove off, trying not to look to suspicious as I glanced in the rear-view mirror and made sure he wasn't following me. He wasn't, thank god. I drove in silence, which I was used to because the radio had been broken for a while, but for some reason the quiet felt very ominous during that drive. When I finally reached the Hale property, I breathed a sigh of relief when I noticed my brother and Stiles standing in the area we had smelled the blood coming from earlier that day.

'What's wrong?' I asked as I joined them at the edge of the hole they had dug, refusing to look into it, I noticed Stiles was holding a purple flower and I wrinkled my nose and stepped away from it, 'is that what I think it is?'

'Wolfsbane.' Stiles confirmed, tossing it into his bag before he reached for his phone to call his dad.

'Are you okay, Scotty?' My arm snaked around his waist as I hugged him from the side, leading him away from the hole in the ground.

'I'm fine.' My twin assured me as we leaned against the front of Stiles' jeep.

'Things are about to get _really_ complicated.' I mused, resting my head on his shoulder.

'You can say that again.'

What felt like hours later, the place was swarming with cop cars and crew, who were sectioning off the body and gathering evidence. Scott and I hadn't really moved from where we had been earlier, but I knew we must have been there for hours because the sun was starting to come up when Derek's Camaro pulled up to the property. He was arrested straight away and put into the back of the Sherriff's car. I felt guilt blossoming in my stomach, but I tried to squash it down- why did I feel guilty? The body had been found on his property, what more did I need? But I didn't matter how hard I tried, there was a nagging feeling at the back of my brain that told me Derek hadn't done this.

'What is he doing?' Scott muttered, running his hands through his hair in frustration, I looked up to see Stiles sneaking into the passenger side of the Sherriff cruiser to speak to Derek through the glass.

 _Alright, I'm not afraid of you. Okay maybe I am, but I just need to know. That girl you killed, she was different wasn't she? She could shift into a full wolf and I know Scott and Stacey can't do that. Is that why you killed her?_

 _Why are you so worried about me, when it's your friends that are the problem? When he shifts on the field what do you think they're going to do? Huh? Just keep cheering him on? And Stacey, what do you think's going to happen when she hears them trash talking her brother? You know how protective she is. I can't stop him from playing in the game, but you can. And trust me, you're going to want to._

Before Stiles could say anything else, his dad yanked him out of the cruiser, and I didn't even bother to tune into that conversation.

'Have we done the right thing?' I asked quietly, my head still resting on Scott's shoulder.

'Of course we have, Stace. He murdered that girl, why else would he have buried her?' Scott assured me.

'I don't know, Scotty. I feel like we're missing something. Something important.' I admitted, sitting up to meet his unconvinced chocolate brown eyes, 'I'm gonna head home before I collapse from exhaustion. Mom's gonna want the car anyway. If I'm not awake before, wake me up for the game.'

'I will.' He hugged me good bye before I drove home, sending Stiles a wave and a salute of luck when I saw he was still talking to his dad.

I managed to get home at five thirty- fifteen minutes before mom was due to wake up from her shift, so after placing the car keys on the table by the door I was able to change and slip into bed without facing an interrogation over where I had been. As I nuzzled into my pillow, I drifted off to the image of Derek's betrayed expression, which evoked guilt-ridden dreams.

'It's like they're deliberately trying to start a massacre,' I growled as Lydia had Allison help her hold up _another_ banner for Jackson.

'I know, right.' Stiles blindly agreed with me as he chewed on his gloves.

'And Jackson is being a bigger dick than usual.' I gestured to him on the pitch, 'hey, dumbass, you know you're not supposed to attack your own players, right?'

'Okay, Stacey you need to calm down.' Stiles reprimanded me softly, his hand resting on my thigh as a move to offer me comfort.

'I'll calm down when Jackson stops being a jackass!' I shouted, smirking to the mentioned player when he glared in my direction.

Before my anger could get the better of me, I was overcome with worry for my twin when I noticed him eying the banner his girlfriend was holding in the air. It took everything in me not to walk up there and rip it in half. That paired with Jackson telling the team not to pass to Scott and I could see my twin's pulse rising from where I sat. Stiles and I shared a worried look and prepared to shoot onto the field in a moments notice. It was clear to me that he was fully transformed, but he was dodging and weaving through the players effortlessly and when he managed to score a goal Stiles and I jumped up and down excitedly with the rest of our school. Jackson looking pissed off was a bonus.

'To McCall! Pass to McCall!' Coach shouted to the team, making me giggle with happiness.

The game continued and all it took was Scott approaching the player on the opposing team for him to pass the ball over. He was definitely fully transformed alright.

'Did the opposing team just deliberately pass us the ball?' Coach asked Stiles.

'Yes, I believe so Coach,' Stiles answered, his eyes on the game.

'Interesting,' Coach mused before he moved away and began pacing the side lines again.

Scott weaved through the players again and threw the ball into the net with enough force that it actually broke _through_ the keepers lacrosse stick. Stiles and I cheered with the rest of the crowd as Coach waited to hear from the ref if it was a valid goal.

'The ball's in the net!' Coach argued with the opposing teams coach, Stiles echoing his words, while I kept my eye on my twin.

The ref gave a wave and coach blew the whistle, signalling that the goal was ours. The play began again, and Scott raced to the end of the pitch but paused in front of the net, the opposing teams players circled around him. Scott was looking between them, as if deliberating attack.

'Oh no. Scott, no,' Stiles said, standing from the bench, and I went with him, my nails digging into his arm.

'You can do it Scott.' I heard Allison say, and amazingly, she was right as he threw the ball into the net just before the bell went, signalling the end of the game.

The crowd rushed onto the pitch, but I saw Scott head for the locker rooms. I was about to head after him, but I noticed Allison moving in that direction and after tuning into my brothers pulse to make sure he was calm; I decided to let him have a moment with her. I noticed that Stiles was distracted by his dad on the phone and I felt my blood turn cold and the guilt in my stomach grow before the Sherriff even ended his call. I listened in to his conversation with his father and hung my head as Stiles went to the locker room to fill in Scott. Derek had been released from jail and the girl had been identified as Laura Hale. Derek's sister. That was all the conformation I needed- Derek wouldn't have murdered his own family, not when he had already lost so much because of the fire. He was innocent, and I would be damned if I ever doubted that again.


	3. Pack Mentality

Chapter Three

I was running as fast as my legs could carry me, but not because I wanted to get away from someone, but because I wanted to get to someone as soon as possible. I was at the school, which is the last place I'd usually want to meet someone, but we had to meet here for reasons I couldn't remember.

I saw him, leaning against the front of the coach and I felt my smile grow as I leapt into his arms. He stumbled a little, but quickly regained his balance as he held me up with his strong hands gripping at my thighs.

'I'm glad you're here.' I murmured.

'Me too, though the meeting place is a little… interesting,' his voice was husky and I could feel a shiver run down my spine as my body responded.

My hands sunk into his hair, playing with the soft strands, 'I suppose… but no one will look for us here. We can be alone.'

His forehead rested against mine, he laid a soft kiss to my lips that made my heart skip a beat before responding, 'I like the way you think.'

I grinned against his lips before capturing them in a deep, passionate kiss that would have made my legs weak, had I still been standing. I felt him walking and taking us somewhere, but as long as he didn't stop kissing me I didn't care. I felt myself being gently laid down on the soft bus seats, and opened my eyes to see glowing blue orbs above me for a moment before his lips were back on my neck. He kissed all the way from the crook of my neck, over my collarbone and down to the tops of my breasts, nipping and sucking as he went. I heard him growl quietly at the sounds of pleasure escaping my mouth and my hands went to his hair, to encourage him to continue.

But then it all changed. I felt my pulse rising as the pleasure grew in my veins and I knew that I need to stop, but I couldn't find my voice.

'What's wrong?' he asked, of course he could hear my raising heart beat and see that my eyes had changed.

'Get away from me, please,' I said, my voice was soft but he wouldn't have had a problem hearing it.

'It's okay.' He tried to assure me, but I was passed the point of trying to control the change and I roared. He moved away from me and held up his hands in a bid to calm me down, but it wasn't working. The sound of his footsteps echoed in my ears as he tried to get away from me but I caught him and tore at his ankles, the sounds of him shouting in pain echoing in my ears as I dragged him towards the back of the bus.

'No!' I screamed, shooting up in bed. The sheets were tangled around my calves, my body was caked with sweat and my heartbeat was hammering in my ears. I glanced at the clock on my nightstand and saw that it was five in the morning, with a groan I threw the sheets away- I knew I wasn't going to be able to get any sleep after that so I decided to start the day with a run, to try and get some of this anxious energy out of my system.

 _Later that morning._

'So you killed her?' Stiles asked, looking to Scott for an answer as I joined them.

'You killed who?' I asked him, my brow cocked in question.

'I had a dream last night that I killed Allison on one of the schools buses. I woke up and I couldn't breathe.' Scott told me and when I came to a sudden stop, him and Stiles turned and looked at me.

'What's wrong? You look a little pale.' Stiles commented.

'I had a dream last night too. But I didn't kill Allison, I killed Derek,' I admitted softly, trying not to hyperventilate- the both of us having a similar dream couldn't be a coincidence could it?

'That's weird,' Stiles looked amused, but Scott and I shared a distressed look.

'It felt so real, I honestly contemplated going over to the Hale property this morning to make sure he was okay,' I said as we walked to the back of the school.

'It felt real for me too.' Scott admitted softly.

'How real?' Stiles sounded curious.

'Like it actually happened.' I told him, freezing in my tracks at the sight that greeted us after Stiles threw the doors open. One of the buses was covered in blood and sectioned off with police tape.

After helping my brother locate Allison- who was alive, thank god- I was one step away from hyperventilating over the fact that Derek might be dead… because of me. Students were waiting to hear if classes were going to go ahead, while Scott and Stiles were trying to calm me down, but I couldn't help it- if Allison hadn't been the one to get attacked on the bus, then who had? Derek?

'Stace, you need to breathe.' Scott told me, his hands on my shoulders while Scott rubbed slow circles on my back.

'No, Scotty I _need_ to go and make sure Derek is still breathing,' I disagreed, glaring at the police officer who was standing at the entrance, refusing to let anyone leave.

'I'm sure he's fine- Allison's fine, right? So it had to have just been a dream.' Scott said, but even Stiles found that unconvincing if his scoff was anything to go by.

'Tell that to the cops out there.' Stiles snarked.

Scott glared at our best friend while I focused on Stiles' pulse and tried to match my own heartbeat to his; I couldn't afford to change right now. Everyone looked up as the principal's announcement echoed in the halls.

 _I know you're all wondering about the incident that happened on one of the buses last night. But for now, classes will continue as scheduled. Thank you._

Students groaned while I growled in frustration and Scott held me still to stop me from charging out of the school with a firm grip on my shoulders.

'Listen to me, we're going to have to get through the school day, Stacey, and you're going to need to do it without going crazy if you want to check on Derek later.' Scott told me his voice gentle and when his words registered I calmed down and nodded.

We made our way to the first class of the day and I pulled out the notes I had already made on the subject he was going to cover today as he started to talk about the attack that had happened.

'What is that?' A girl near the front of the glass shouted and I leaped up from my seat with the rest of the students to gather in front of the window. There was a man being taken to an ambulance on a stretcher and when he sat up suddenly I bit back a scream.

'That's good right?' Stiles said, patting Scott's chest and my back, 'dead guys don't do that.'

'Stiles. We did that.' Scott whispered, mirroring my horror.

'Oh my god, Scott what have we done?' I gasped; he pulled me into a hug as he assured me it was going to be okay. But was it?

 _Lunchtime._

'Dreams aren't memories.' Stiles argued as we took out lunch to our usual table. I sat next to Stiles while Scott sat across from them.

'I think it's safe to say that this wasn't a dream, Stiles.' I rolled my eyes, taking a long drink of my water.

'Something happened last night, Stiles and we can't remember what,' Scott agreed with me.

'What makes you so sure Derek has all the answers?' Stiles said, unconvinced as he drank some of his water.

'Because during the full moon he wasn't even changed. He had complete control.' Scott sounded frustrated.

'That's true. And I need to see him anyway, Stiles.' I reminded him, earning a comforting arm over my shoulder in response.

'I can't go out with Allison tomorrow. I have to cancel.' Scott muttered, leaning back in his chair, completely defeated.

'No you can't do that.' Stiles said, removing his arm from my shoulders to dig into his food, 'you can't just cancel your entire life, okay.'

'He's right. Let's just hold off making any decisions until we've talked to Derek.' I agreed, reaching forward to squeeze my brother's hand in comfort before letting go.

'We'll figure it out.' Stiles assured him.

'Figure what out?' Lydia asked, sitting to Scott's left. I rolled my eyes at her appearance, while Stiles looked delighted. No one answered as Allison sat the other side of Scott, Jackson sat at the head table and Danny sat on the other side of Stiles. I bit back a laugh at Stiles as he looked around and smiled to everyone, looking like he'd just had his birthday and Christmas presents all at once.

'So I hear they're saying it was some kind of animal attack?' Danny said, looking over to Jackson. Scott and I shared a look before I stared at my plate.

'Probably a cougar?' Danny added.

'I heard mountain lion.' Jackson disagreed and I just snorted.

'A cougar is a mountain lion.' Lydia said, sounding annoyed when she noticed everyone's eyes were on her she added an innocent, 'isn't it?'

I held back a laugh that I knew would start an argument as I listened to the rest of the conversation.

'Who cares?' Jackson scoffed before he went on, 'the guys probably just some homeless tweaker who's gonna die anyway.'

I glared at him, but thankfully Stiles broke my concentration, 'actually I just found out who it is. Check it out.' He held his phone at an angle so that everyone else could watch the video clip that was playing.

 _The Sherriff's department won't speculate on details of the incident, but confirmed the victim, Garrison Meyers, did survive the attack. Meyers was taken to a local hospital, where he remains in critical condition._

I gasped when I saw the picture of the driver, recognising who it was immediately.

'We know that guy.' Scott said, sharing a look with me.

'You do?' Allison asked, her gaze flickering in between my twin and me.

'Yeah, when we used to take the bus, back when we lived with our dad. He was the driver.' I confirmed, looking down at the fries on my plate, my appetite suddenly gone.

'Can we talk about something more fun, please?' Lydia said, and for the first time in my life I found myself silently agreeing with her, 'like, where are we going tomorrow night?' She looked over to Allison who looked confused as to what she was talking about.

'You said you and Scott were hanging out tomorrow night, right?' Lydia asked, and I _barely_ bit back a snort as I realised what was happening.

'Um, we were thinking of what we were gonna do,' Allison said, somewhat reluctantly.

Scott and Stiles looked horrified and I was really having trouble not laughing out loud.

'Well, I am _not_ staying at home again watching lacrosse videos, so if the four of us are hanging out, we are doing something fun.' Lydia stated, looking over to Jackson.

Scott looked over to Allison, who was drinking her water with a crinkled brow.

'H-hanging out?' Scott stuttered, sounding worried, 'like the four of us?'

Stiles shook his head and covered the bottom half of his face with his hand. I tried to cover my laugh with a cough. Nailed it.

'Do you wanna hang out, like us and them?' Scott said, not fully believing the situation he had gotten himself in.

'Yeah, I guess. Sounds fun.' Allison said, rather unconvincingly but from the looks of my brother's defeated position, he didn't realise she was only agreeing because she didn't want to hurt her friends feelings.

'You know what else sounds fun?' Jackson said, leaning forward and picking a fork up off his dinner tray, 'stabbing myself in the face with this fork.'

'Go ahead, I could use a laugh,' I said, unable to stop myself. Stiles winced next to me, but I heard my twin's silent snort of amusement.

Lydia snatched the fork from him and slammed it down on his tray, 'how about bowling? You love to bowl.' She tried to convince him and I just rolled my eyes at how obnoxious Jackson was being, while Stiles stress ate his fries next to me and sent "what is happening?" looks to Scott across the table.

'Yeah, with actual competition.' Jackson said, his ankle resting on his thigh.

'How do you know we're not actual competition?' Allison asked, clearly trying to diffuse the situation before Lydia snapped. I was definitely right about her- she was a sweet girl and perfect for my brother.

'You can bowl right?' Allison asked Scott and Stiles and I just shared a look, knowing that my brother wasn't exactly the best athlete beyond lacrosse.

'Sort of,' Scott conceded and I wondered if he was remembering the time he had almost broken my foot at a birthday party when we were eight.

'Is it sort of or yes?' Jackson asked as he leaned forward, an arrogant smirk on his face.

'Yes.' Scott said, sounding confident, 'in fact, I'm a great bowler.'

If I hadn't been so shocked in that moment, I would have face-palmed, and from the looks of it, Stiles would have as well.

 _After Lunch_

'You're a terrible bowler!' Stiles shouted, smacking Scott's back while I laughed at the whole situation.

'I know! God, I'm such an idiot!' Scott muttered as we walked down the stairs.

'It was like watching a car wreck. I mean, first it was the whole group date thing. And then out of nowhere comes that phrase,' Stiles' head fell into his hands.

'Hang out?' Scott sounded like he still couldn't believe it.

'You don't hang out with hot girls, okay? It's like death. Once it's hanging out you might as well be her gay best friend. You and Danny can start hanging out.' Stiles said, his hands gesturing frantically as he spoke, I was walking the other side of Scott, still highly amused by the entire situation.

'How is this happening? We either killed a guy or we didn't,' Scott said, sounding panicked and the reminder of that sobered me up immediately.

'I don't think Danny likes me very much,' Stiles commented, clearly not listening to Scott anymore.

'I asked Allison on a date and now we're hanging out?' Scott carried on, plainly lost in his own problems.

'Am I not attractive to gay guys?' Stiles asked, sounding genuinely concerned, his expression making me giggle.

'You're adorable,' I assured him, grinning when he gave me a half smile and pointed at me in thanks.

'I made first line and the captain wants to destroy me… and now… now we're gonna be late for work.' Scott realised glancing at the time on his phone, he grabbed my arm and pulled me along with him.

I could hear Stiles shouting after us as we left, but I wasn't paying him any attention, 'what about Derek?'

'We'll go after work. We can't afford to miss this, Stace,' Scott's eyes were remorseful and I accepted the helmet off him with a sigh.

When we got to work we apologised to Deaton, but he assured us being all of two minutes late wasn't a crime. The shift got interesting for a minute when Sherriff Stilinski came in to ask questions about the kind of animal that attacked the bus driver, but other than making my anxiety spike, I didn't learn anything I didn't already know. After four hours, our shift finally ended and while Scott went to the hospital to try and bribe mom with some take out, I headed to the Hale property, gratefully accepting Scott's bike for transportation.

The drive flew by as I only had one thought on my mind: _I need to see Derek._ I had been so focused on making sure I hadn't hurt him that I hadn't given the earlier events of my dream much thought. I wasn't going to start now either- that dream was out of the blue and I _definitely_ didn't have feelings for Derek. I mean sure, I thought he was attractive, but who the hell wouldn't? It was just a weird dream and it probably would never happen again. The brakes on Scott's bike squeaked as I came to a stop. I threw the bike to the ground, on the other side of the porch and unclipped the helmet, taking a deep breath as I walked to the front door.

I went to knock and then chickened out. What if he wasn't here? What if I _had_ actually hurt him? I ran my hand through my hair as I paced up and down on the porch, I was trying to focus my hearing to see if I could detect a heartbeat, but all I could hear was my own heartbeat pounding in my ears. This was getting ridiculous; with a huff I whirled around and held my fist up to knock, only to be pulled inside by a hand on my arm. I squeaked in surprise and when I heard the door creak shut I looked up to who had grabbed me, and was met with Derek's blue orbs.

I felt my face soften with relief and I was about to tell him how happy I was to see him alive, when he slapped his palm over my mouth. I narrowed my eyes in annoyance but he gave me a look that told me to be quiet, and when he pulled me over to a window on the second floor, I could see why- there was a police cruiser outside. He let go of me, and I stood back as he went to the window. I didn't know what he did, but I heard a dog barking and not long after I heard the car drive away. When it was gone, Derek turned around and simply quirked a brow at me in question, though his expression did transform into surprise when I basically leaped into his arms.

'Stacey?' he murmured, his chin resting on top of my head, I felt his arms wind around my waist after a moment and he hugged me back.

'I'm just glad you're okay.' I mumbled so quietly that if he didn't have supernatural hearing, he wouldn't have been able to hear me.

'Why wouldn't I be?' He asked, the question bringing me back to the reality of the situation. I had been so happy that Derek was actually okay that I had _leaped_ into his arms, something I'm sure he hadn't appreciated- he didn't seem like much of a hugger. I felt myself stiffen before I gently pulled away from him, inwardly cursing myself and avoiding his gaze.

'I'm sorry- I had a dream- I thought you were- I didn't mean-,' I ran my hand through my hair as I spoke, when I failed to form a sentence for the forth time I decided to shut up.

Derek's lips twitched a little, almost suggesting that he was fighting a smile and all of a sudden I was too, though that faded when we both heard footsteps approaching outside. Derek walked back to the window, while I stayed where I was stood, a few paces behind him.

'I know you can hear me. I need your help,' Scott's voice echoed throughout the house.

Derek turned and gave me a look. I nodded in answer to his silent question. Surprising me, he grabbed my wrist and gently led me down stairs, where we met Scott on the porch. My twin wasn't surprised to see me there and after sending me a nod of acknowledgement, he looked over to Derek and waited for him to speak.

'I know we were a part of you getting arrested. And that we basically announced you being here to the hunters. I also don't know what happened with your sister.' I gave Scott a look that he ignored, 'but I think we did something last night. I think my sister and me might have hurt someone… _really_ hurt someone. We each had dreams about… someone, but someone else got hurt. And it turns out that part of the dream might have actually happened.' Scott's voice trembled and I stepped out from behind Derek to stand next to him, squeezing his shoulder comfortingly.

Derek's eyes flickered from my twin and over to me. The way he was staring at me made me fidget; he was looking at me like he was trying to figure something out and a part of me was a little afraid as to what that something could be.

'You think you two attacked the bus driver?' He asked eventually, his eyes still on me.

'I think we had something to do with it. The dream was too real for it to be a coincidence.' I admitted, my voice soft with emotion.

'Did you see what we did last night?' Scott blurted out.

'No.' was Derek's answer.

'Can you at least tell us the truth?' Scott asked, continuing when Derek gave him a slight nod of assent, 'are we going to hurt someone?'

'Yes.'

'Could we kill someone?' Scott sounded afraid of the answer, and honestly so was I.

'Yes.'

'Are we gonna kill someone?' I asked, my nails scraping against my skull, as I looked Derek in the eye, I swear the steely blue orbs softened for a millisecond before his impenetrable mask was back in place.

'Probably.'

I exhaled a laugh of defeat and shook my head in denial. Scott walked to the end of the porch and leaned on the fencing, something told me he needed the support. I turned my back and sat down on the steps, resting my head between my knees as I listened to Derek as he continued to speak.

'Look, I can show you both how to remember.' His voice was sure, confident and for whatever reason it soothed my frayed nerves a little, 'I can show you how to control the shift, even on a full moon.'

'But?' I mumbled against my legs, elaborating when my question was met with silence, 'what do you want in return? You're not going to help us for free.'

'You'll find out what I want when I need it.' He promised, sounding a little closer to me, 'but for now, I'm going to give the both of you what you want. Go back to the bus. Go inside. See it, feel it. Let your senses, your sight, smell, touch, let them remember for you.'

I felt the ball of dread that had been present since I woke up that morning grow as I processed what he actually wanted us to do. I realised then, it wasn't dread churning in my gut, it was _fear._ I was terrified that I had played a part in the bus driver's critical condition; I was terrified of finding out the truth.

'That's it?' Scott didn't sound convinced, 'just go back?'

'Do you want to know what happened?' Derek asked.

'That depends.' I muttered, looking over to them, hoping my expression didn't betray my fear, 'on whether I hurt the bus driver as much as I did the person in my dream.'

'You'll never know if you don't try to remember,' Derek murmured, not quite meeting my eye.

'I want to know if I hurt him.' Scott said, drawing Derek's attention away from me.

'No you don't,' Derek said, the faintest of smiled on his face, 'you want to know if you'll hurt her.'

My twin looked away from his stare but both of us knew he was right. Scott got a text from Deaton asking him if he could start a little earlier, and seeing as I had the night off I stayed behind as he drove away on his bike. He promised to pick me up after work so we could check out the bus together before he left.

'For what it's worth…' I started, standing and facing him as I spoke, 'I'm sorry for my part in you getting arrested. I couldn't completely convince myself that you had killed someone to begin with, and when I found out _who_ it was… I knew for sure that you weren't behind it. I'm sorry. And thank you. For the help.'

I turned to leave and I had taken about three steps when Derek's voice stopped me.

'What made you so sure?' For the barest of moments, he sounded vulnerable.

I span around and faced him, a small but sad smile playing on the corners of my lips, 'when I was little I didn't have many friends. There was Stiles but he was really Scott's friend first, and believe it or not Scott and I weren't always so close. So when I was younger I was mostly alone, until Cora came up to me one day, told me she liked my hair clip and that I was her best friend. We were inseparable after that and she was always talking about her family, her weird uncle Peter, her sweet big sister Laura… and her protective older brother.'

Derek's eyes appeared as if they were glistening with tears, but that might have been because I was barely holding back tears myself. I cleared my throat, trying to remove the ball of emotion that had suddenly formed.

'That's how I knew. There was no way that the older brother Laura looked up to could be a murderer. And there was no way he'd kill someone who was family.'

'It's that simple?' His voice was soft, that if I didn't have my newly attuned hearing, I wouldn't have heard him.

'It's that simple.' A small, soft but genuine smile formed on my lips.

'Thank you.' He said so quietly, I wasn't completely sure I hadn't imagined it; I nodded in acknowledgement anyway, turned and left. I couldn't have been sure, because I didn't turn back, but I could have sworn he was watching me walk away.

 _Later that night._

'Just us, Stiles. Someone needs to keep watch.' Scott said as we approached the fence separating us from the school bus.

'How come I'm always the guy keeping watch?' Stiles complained.

'Trust me, Stiles, if we could switch I'd happily be the one keeping watch,' I muttered, climbing over the fence and leaving them to their squabble.

'Thank you, Stacey!' Stiles shouted after me, making me roll my eyes fondly.

It took me about twenty steps to reach the door of the bus and with a deep breath I slid it open and stepped inside. I stared down the isle and for a moment the image of Derek being dragged down there flashed through my mind, only to be replaced by the bus driver's face as he screamed out for help. I growled protectively and reached my hand out, wanting to help the clearly injured man but I turned back when I heard someone else join me on the bus. It was my twin, fully transformed and when he took in the scene as I had he reached forward for one of the drivers hands and I reached for the other. As quick as a flash, a hand shot out, claws imbedding into Scott's chest and slicing across my cheek. The hand I had reached out went to my face, only to be covered in blood when I pulled it back. I noticed my brothers wound and growled, completely furious. I went to crouch down, planning to attack the red-eyed wolf for revenge when my twin pulled my arm and dragged me out of the bus.

'Stacey? Stacey?' Scott's voice pulled me out of my daze and made me aware of the urgent beeping horn and the flashlight shining in on the bus. Without a word, we left, leaping over the fence and climbing into the jeep easily.

'Did it work? Did you remember?' Stiles asked as he pumped on the gas.

'Yes-,' My twin started but I cut him off, practically giddy.

'We didn't do it Stiles! We were trying to help him!' I grinned, noticing that the boys in the front smiled as well; apparently my happiness was infectious.

'If you didn't do it, then who did?' Stiles wondered.

'Whoever it was, it was the same one that bit us.' I said, recognising the eyes, 'and I know what you're thinking Scotty and it wasn't Derek.'

'How do you know that?' Scott turned around in his seat to face me.

'I just do,' I shrugged; I had no evidence unless I could offer up my instincts, 'you have it out for him because he's the only other werewolf we have met. But do you really think that he is the only shape shifter in Beacon?'

'Until you said that, yes, yes I did.' Stiles said sarcastically.

'Think about it. Allison's family are hunters, right?' I waited for Scott to nod in confirmation before I continued, 'and she said they move around a lot. I don't think that's for firearm deals. They move to where the supernatural creatures are. Do you think they'd come here for _just_ Derek?'

'She's right, man. I hadn't thought of it like that but she has a point.' Stiles agreed with me.

'Then why is Derek being so shady if he doesn't have something to hide?' Scott wasn't quite as ready to give in.

'Scott, we all have a past, and if I were him I wouldn't exactly be forthcoming to a bunch of teenagers who doubted everything I said and had me arrested for my sister's murder.' I gave him a look as I sat back in my seat, my arms crossed over my chest.

'I guess.' Scott sighed.

Stiles sent me a smirk in the rear view mirror that I reciprocated; we all knew what "I guess meant." It meant he knew I was right but he didn't want to outright say it, and for now that was good enough for me. With a sigh, I stared out of the window, wondering how different my life would have been if Cora hadn't died in that fire. Would we still have been friends? Would she have stayed in Beacon or left with her brother and sister? What if. What if. What if. Questions that only result in self-torture. Cora and I may not have been friends long before the fire, but she was the first person to accept me for me and even at nine years old I had known that was rare. I missed that acceptance and I missed our friendship.

 _The Next Day_

'So while your brother is out kissing the lips of the daughter of a family of hunters that want him dead, you get to keep me company.' Stiles said as we pulled into the gas station, his arms flailing around as he sat in the passenger seat of his own car. I was the only person he let drive his beloved Roscoe when he didn't feel like being behind the wheel himself. I had gotten off from the hospital at six, and dragged out to the movies for six thirty.

'Lucky me,' my tone was sarcastic and I laughed at the mock offended look on Stiles' face as I exited the car, 'I'll get this.'

He went to protest but I just shut the door in his face, careful not to slam it because I knew he would only complain. I noticed him placing his ear buds in, knowing it took a while to fill his beloved Jeep. As I took the fuel pump and placed it into the Jeep, clicking it on I suddenly wished that Stiles had gotten out with me because the silence across the garage was making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. The tank was half full when I heard the purring of a familiar engine join me at the fuel pump on the other side.

'Hey.' I smiled at the blue-eyed man.

'Hey.' He returned, taking the pump and putting it into his car.

I opened my mouth, and if I was honest I had no idea what I was going to say, when two other cars pulled into the lot, parking behind Derek and in front of him. I frowned and stepped around the pumps separating me from him and went to casually lean against the pillar next to the pump that was pouring the fuel into his Camaro.

Derek looked like he was about to tell me to go back to Stiles but I just shook my head slightly and smiled, making it look like we were having a conversation to the people who were exiting the cars. I saw Allison's father hesitate in his confident strides towards Derek for the briefest of moments before he continued.

'Nice ride.' Chris commented, I looked over to him and fought the shiver that wanted to escape down my spine.

'Black cars though.' He shook his head, looking down to the car as he continued to walk, 'very hard to keep clean.' He scrubbed at an imaginary blemish on the hood of Derek's car, 'I would definitely suggest a little maintenance.'

I looked over to Derek, desperately holding back the scoff that wanted to break free. Derek's face was stoic and casual, but I could tell he was anything but; he was paying close attention to everyone around him, preparing to defend himself in the event of an attack. Chris leaned down, taking a bucket of water and a long handled sponge. He washed Derek's window as he spoke and I fought the urge to make a sarcastic comment at the obvious threat behind his words.

'If you have something nice, you wanna take care of it, right? Personally I'm protective of the things I love. That's something I learned from my family. You don't have much of that these days. Do you?'

I didn't need to look over to Derek to know that he was pissed off, and honestly so was I. I cleared my throat to draw his attention to me; apparently remaining quiet in this integration wasn't going to happen.

'You're Allison's father, right?' I tilted my head as if in thought, 'you know she's talked about you before. From the description she gave I imagined someone different. She makes you out all warm and loving… but you're actually kind of a dick.' I cocked my brow as my lips tilted down into a fake frown.

'Who are you?' Chris asked, surprise glinting in his eyes as he spoke.

'I'm your daughter's boyfriend's sister.' I smiled at him sweetly, being careful to not mention their whereabouts tonight- I knew Allison had to sneak out to go bowling with the others.

'How do you know Derek?' Chris asked but I was saved from answering when Stiles joined in on the conversation.

'Hey Mr Argent,' Stiles said, coming to stand beside me.

'Another friend of Allison's I take it?' Chris smirked, but there was nothing humorous about it.

'Stiles Stilinski pleased to meet you,' Stiles said, his tone sarcastic.

'Shouldn't you be at home? There _is_ a curfew.' Chris said, crossing his arms over his chest. I was about to snap at him again, but when Derek came to stand right next to me, my jaw snapped shut in surprise.

'We were just leaving.' Derek's tone hinted that he was dismissing them while also protecting us.

'Alright. I see you've got my message.' Argent smiled and backed away, nodding at the men in the car behind to leave.

'Oh we got your message alright.' I smiled sweetly at him and then mumbled under my breath, 'dickhead.'

I held my breath until the cars were gone and then released a heavy sigh.

'Well he was…intense.' Stiles commented making me snort.

'Yeah. He's on my shit list.' My tone was final as I stared where the taillights had disappeared.

'We need to get going if we're gonna catch that movie, Stace.' Stiles reminded me, pulling me out of my daze and heading back to the Jeep.

'Right.' I turned to join him, patting Derek's arm, 'see you around Derek.'

I could have swore I saw a genuine smile on his face as I retreated, and it made a smile form on my own lips as I climbed behind the wheel of Roscoe.

'Should we tell Scott about that… or?' Stiles said as he tapped on his phone.

'It doesn't matter what I say Stiles, we both know you've just texted him a detailed account of what just happened.' I cocked my brow, daring him to prove me wrong, but he only offered me a sheepish smile that made me shake my head fondly.

 _A few hours later_

'What?' I heard my twin's voice thundering from his room and I was there in three seconds flat.

'What's going on?' I asked, leaning against the doorframe, my arms crossed over my chest.

'The bus driver… he died.' Stiles informed me from where he was sat at the end of Scott's bed.

'Oh,' my brow crinkled, sad that the man had lost his life. He was always friendly to Scott and me.

'I'm going to see Derek,' Scott said, my spine stiffening at the anger in his tone.

I didn't even bother to question him, knowing it wouldn't do me any good. I grabbed mom's car keys from the bowl by the door and drove us to Derek's property. Scott jumped out of the car before it had even stopped, thundering into the destroyed house with purpose in his steps.

'Derek!' He yelled, I walked in quietly and gently closed the door behind us, 'I know what you did!'

' _I_ didn't do anything.' Derek's voice echoed off the walls, Scott started to walk up the staircase while I remained at the bottom, my back resting against the door. As long as I could help it, I wasn't getting involved.

'You killed him!' Scott was half way up the stairs.

'He died.'

'Like your sister died?' Scott said, I inhaled a sharp breath at his question, having to restrain myself from yelling at him, I loved my brother but sometimes he could be such an idiot.

'My sister was missing,' Derek was furious; it was practically dripping from every word, 'I came here looking for her.'

'You found her.' Was Scott's snarky response.

'Scott.' My tone held warning, but it was nothing compared to the anger in Derek's words.

'I found her in pieces! Being used as bait to catch me!' He thundered.

'I think you killed them both,' Scott wouldn't listen and I was a hairs width away from punching him in the face, 'and I'm going to tell everyone starting with the sheriff.'

He'd reached the top of the staircase now and he barely had time to look one way before Derek was on him, throwing him down the stairs. I stayed against the door, knowing that the tumble wouldn't hurt him… much. I winced when he landed on the ground at my feet with a thud. When Scott looked up, fully transformed and roared at Derek, I rolled my eyes. This wasn't going to end well. Derek was in front of Scott in one leap and before I could blink, Scott had thrown Derek through some drywall. I huffed in annoyance and walked through the giant hole in the plaster to see Derek dusting himself off, looking thoroughly pissed off. After flickering my eyes over his form and determining him he was fine I went to sit on the sofa to my right; I had a feeling things were far from over.

Sure enough, Derek shrugged off his jacket and transformed himself, roaring at Scott and repeatedly slamming him into a wall and then the table behind him. Scott attempted to swipe at him, but Derek punched him in the jaw and threw him onto the floor. Scott used the side of the table to prop himself up and with a growl, Derek slid across it, kicking Scott with enough force to send him flying into the wall with a thud. My twin pulled an ore from somewhere and swung it at Derek, but he dove out of the way and when he tried to hit him again, he rolled on the floor before snagging Scott's ankle and flipping him over. The golden-eyed wolf rolled onto his back and Derek grabbed his throat, lifted him from the ground and slammed him to the floor twice. When he tried to get up, the blue-eyed wolf kicked him in the abdomen, causing him to soar through the air for a few feet. Scott jumped onto the small table with a roar and went to jump on Derek, but the former landed a swipe to his chest hard enough that I heard bones crack.

Derek turned and cracking could be heard as he returned to his human face. I looked down to my brother on the floor and noticed he had returned to human as well.

'Are you done having your temper tantrum?' I asked, my brows raising to convey my annoyance, 'get it all out of your system?' I looked over to Derek; giving him the same look I was giving my twin.

'Shut up, Stacey.' Scott growled as he stood.

'I'll take that as I no.' I huffed, leaning back into the sofa cushions, 'you know this sofa is quite comfortable.'

Derek's lips twitched with humour as he observed me, but when he looked back to my brother, the annoyance was evident in his expression, 'I didn't kill him. None of us did. It's not your fault and it's not mine.'

'Not your fault?' Scott yelled, stepping toward him, 'this is all your fault! You ruined my life!'

I sighed and rolled my eyes- my twin's inability to think through his anger was not one of his best traits.

'No I'm didn't!' Derek shouted back.

'You're the one who bit me!' Scott insisted.

'No I'm not!' Derek didn't even blink, but I could tell he was getting more and more annoyed with having to explain himself to someone who obviously didn't believe him.

'What?' My twin asked.

'I'm not the one who bit you.'

Scott looked down to his chest and zoned out for a moment. I assumed he was having another flashback, and when he collapsed next to me on the sofa, I knew he realised his mistake.

'There's another.' Scott realised.

'Did I not tell you that?' I rolled my eyes and lightly smacked his shoulder, 'you should really start listening to me, Scotty. It would save you the embarrassment of getting your ass kicked.'

Scott rolled his eyes but sent me an apologetic look before we both looked up to Derek as he explained exactly what we were dealing with.

'It's called an alpha. It's the most dangerous of our kind. You, me and Stacey, we're beta's. This thing is more powerful, more animal than any of us.' Derek paused, before going on, 'my sister came here looking for him. Now I'm trying to find him. But I don't think I can do it without the both of you.'

'Why?' I asked, slightly surprised that we could help him in any way.

'Because he's the one that bit the both of you. You're both a part of his pack. It's you two. You're the ones he wants.' Derek said, his eyes flickering between us both as he read the effects his words had on us. I couldn't speak for my twin, but I was freaking out. I didn't want to be wanted by a psychotic werewolf with biting issues.

'Sure. Why not?' I muttered, running my hands through my hair.


	4. Magic Bullet

Chapter Four

I sighed as I walked with my brother and Stiles through the corridors to our last class. They were talking about who the alpha could be and I was listening with vague interest; I didn't think it was going to be someone that we knew personally, so their theories weren't really piquing my intrigue.

'Come on, it could totally be Coach!' Stiles argued as we took our seats for the last class of the day.

'Stiles, you're an idiot,' I shook my head with a laugh.

'Agreed.' Scott said.

Stiles looked moderately offended but otherwise remained silent as the teacher came around, passing the marked pop quizzes from the previous week. I was sat in the chair next to Stiles, next to the window, while my twin was in front of our best friend. I smiled at the A+ on my test and looked over when I heard my brother groan.

'Woah. You should study more,' Stiles joked.

'It's one test, Scotty you'll make it up,' I assured him, reaching over to squeeze his arm comfortingly.

'Do you need help studying?' Stiles asked, placing his graded A paper into his notebook.

'Nah, Allison and I are studying together after school,' Scott said offhandedly.

Stiles and I said different things at the same time.

'That's my boy!'

'Too much information!'

Scott looked between us with a confused expression on his face.

'We're just studying,' Scott frowned, wondering why Stiles and I were both laughing at him.

'No you're not. Just studying is code for making out,' I told my innocent twin brother.

'Or more.' Stiles agreed, giving Scott a look, 'and if I have to live vicariously through you, you better not be _just_ studying. I swear to god if you waste this opportunity, I will have you de-balled.'

I laughed at Stiles' outburst, trying to pull my laugher off as a cough to lessen the glare the teacher was aiming our way.

'Alright, alright. Just no more questions or speculation about the alpha.' Scott's looked over his shoulder, giving Stiles a pleading look that made me shake my head fondly.

We lapsed back into silence as the teacher droned on. As he did I alternated between doodling on a blank page and staring out of the window- I had already covered the topic he was covering and I didn't need to make duplicate notes. When the bell wrung we made our way outside.

'See you later, Scotty. Love you,' I hugged my brother goodbye as I followed Stiles over to his Jeep. Scott was meeting Allison straight after school, so Stiles was giving me a ride home. I had a rare night off from the clinic. I caught the keys that he threw at me randomly with my supernatural reflexes, giving Stiles a look.

'Gotta keep you and your supernatural reflexes on their toes.' He smirked, climbing into the passenger seat of his own car.

'So what are you doing tonight?' I asked him as I pulled on my seatbelt and started the engine of his Jeep.

'Probably studying. You can come over if you want, I concentrate better when you're there.' He said, scrolling through his phone.

'Because I make sure you study and I confiscate your phone,' I rolled my eyes as I pulled out of the parking space, 'you have the attention span of a goldfish Stiles.'

'Hey, I resent that!' Stiles waved his hands around frantically, making me laugh as I looked over to him.

I bought my eyes back to the parking lot and gasped, slamming on the brakes. Derek was standing right in front of the truck, looking incredibly weak.

'What the hell! This guy is _everywhere_ ,' Stiles groaned. I ignored him, putting the truck in park and jumping out to get to Derek's side. He was clutching his left arm with a look of pain in his face; I placed my hand on his thigh, the other on his shoulder.

'What's wrong with you?' Scott asked before I could, though he sounded annoyed for some reason.

'I got shot.' Derek said plainly.

'Why aren't you healing?' I asked, helping him to stand with a gentle but firm hand on his uninjured arm. I placed my arm around his waist as a form of support, which with how heavily he was leaning on me, he needed.

'It was a different kind of bullet,' Derek breathed.

'A silver bullet?' Stiles sounded excited and I had to suppress a snort.

'No, you idiot!' Derek yelled, getting annoyed. I found myself subconsciously rubbing my thumb back and forth where it was supporting him on his waist in an attempt to calm him down. Surprisingly, I felt a little tension leave him and he leaned on me a little more heavily.

I looked up to Derek when he stumbled, nearly bringing us both down. I could hear car horns beeping in the background, but I was more concerned with the fact that Derek's eyes were glowing.

'Derek, your eyes,' I whispered frantically, bringing my free hand up to cover his eyes.

'Why are you doing that?' Scott murmured, suspiciously glancing around to make sure no one was watching.

Derek gently removed my hand from in front of his eyes before answering, 'that's what I'm trying to tell you! I can't!'

'Okay, we need to get you out of here, I think we've attracted enough attention.' I said, noticing that people were starting to get out of their cars.

I gestured to Stiles, silently asking him to open the door, which he did with exaggerated hand movements. I managed to get Derek into the passenger seat before I held open the drivers side door for Stiles, he gave me a disbelieving look before complying and climbing into the back. I jumped into the drivers seat and looked over to my brother who was talking to Derek out of the wound down passenger side window.

'You have to get me the bullet.' Derek urged.

'What, why me?' Scott sounded flustered.

'Because she's,' he gestured to Allison who was starting to make her way over to us, 'an Argent and she's with them.'

'Why should I help you?' Scott scoffed.

'Scott,' I all but growled, I was pretty sure that my eyes were glowing gold and for a split second my twin actually looked scared of me.

'Fine. I'll help you. Get him out of here.' Scott said frantically.

'You'd better, because if you don't get the bullet, I will,' I promised before I drove away, cursing my brother under my breath, while Stiles asked Derek question after question about his arm, none of which Derek answered.

I was annoyed with my brother for one huge reason. He had the power to help someone and yet he didn't want to, for what? Because he didn't like Derek? Because of his infatuation with Allison? Someone needed his help and he couldn't be bothered to offer his assistance and yet if he had the one who had been shot, whom would he have gone to begging for help? I was going to have a serious talk with him later on and make sure he started treating people with a bit more respect. I mean hey, he spoke to Mr Argent a lot more politely because he was his girlfriend's father, despite the fact he had tried to kill us.

'Where are we going?' Stiles asked, looking out the front window.

'The animal clinic.' I said, turning down to the street the clinic was on, 'Deaton should be gone by now. He's only open until two on a Monday.'

'Are you serious?' Stiles said, jolting forward in his seat and shoving my shoulder, causing me to jerk in the road and send him a glare.

'Sorry,' he said unconvincingly.

'You're an idiot,' Derek muttered, pulling off his jacket and rolling up his sleeve, revealing a bullet wound dripping with blood, the veins surrounding it were turning black.

'What is that?' Stiles winced, sounding like he was going to throw up.

'Stiles if you throw up, I _will_ leave you on the side of the road,' I warned him, pulling into the clinic and putting the truck in park, 'we'll get inside and I'll see if I can do anything to help while we wait for Scott.'

Derek gave me a funny look that ignored as I barrelled around the car and helped him out of the Jeep, I told Stiles to grab the key from behind the dumpster and he held the door open for me to help Derek through. We got into the examining room and Derek released me to lean heavily against the table and take off his shirt. I stood the opposite side of him, my hands gently touching his arm. I could feel Derek's gaze on me but I paid him no mind as I took in his wound. It was bleeding, and by the looks of it his body was rejecting whatever had been in that bullet, but then again we already knew that. I had seen doctors treat plenty of bullet wounds over the summer, and the procedure was running through my mind.

'You need to lift your arm up, it'll slow the blood flow and stop the infection from spreading through your body so fast.' I told him softly, lifting his arm up so it was above his heart.

'What are you doing?' Stiles asked as I rummaged through the doors. I could have cheered when I found saline, bandages and rubber gloves.

'I'm trying to slow down the infection. It won't work completely, but it should buy us some time while we wait for Scott.' I told him as I put on the gloves and gestured to Stiles to come over.

'I'm going to clean it and flush it out and it's going to hurt like a bitch,' I gave Derek a sympathetic look, gesturing to Stiles with my chin, 'Stiles is going to need to hold you down.'

Derek nodded and Stiles placed his hands on either side of the bullet wound, holding him down to the operating table, after I gave him a threatening look. I twisted off the top of the saline, squirted it onto some loose bandages, gave Derek an apologetic look and started to clean the hole on his arm. He winced, his arm involuntarily trying to jerk away, but Stiles managed to hold him down. I worked quickly and efficiently and it wasn't long before I had cleaned the entrance wound and the exit wound and had them both bandaged up.

'Okay, you can hold your arm back up now.' I told him softly, throwing the used equipment into the appropriate bins.

'How do you know what to do?' Derek asked, I didn't have to turn around to know his eyes were on me; his stare was penetrating.

'I volunteer at the hospital on weekends as well as over the summer.' I shrugged turning to face him, frowning in concern when I noticed his paling complexion and the sweat on his brow.

'Does monkswood mean anything to you?' Stiles said, reading from his phone.

'It's a rare form of wolfsbane.' Derek replied, his voice barely audible, 'he needs to bring me the bullet.'

'Why?' I asked, ignoring the tingling feeling shooting up my arm when I placed it around his waist to support him.

'Because I'll die without it.' He said simply, his answer making my blood run cold; Stiles looked shocked before he snapped out of it and started frantically typing on his phone.

'What are we going to do? If he doesn't get here in time?' Stiles said, his arms waving around frantically as he paced back and forth at the opposite end of the operating table.

'I have another option. A last resort.' Derek said, stepping out of my hold and frantically searching through the draws until he found a bone saw and held it up, 'if he doesn't get here on time, one of you are cutting off my arm.'

'What?' Stiles looked horrified and I'm sure I did as well, though probably not for the same reasons as my best friend.

'How long do you think you have?' I said, taking the saw from him and the tourniquet. I laid the saw on the table and tied the tourniquet above the bandage on his arm as tight as I could.

'Not long. When the infection reaches my heart, it'll kill me.' Derek murmured, watching me as I worked.

'Positive isn't in your vocabulary is it?' Stiles muttered, running his hand over his face as he alternated between looking and not looking.

Derek was about to retort, but he gently shoved me to the side as he vomited on the floor. When I saw the black blood I knew we were running out of time. Fast.

'Oh my god. What is _that?_ ' Stiles sounded disgusted and horrified while I just shot him a look and placed Derek's arm on the operating table and grabbed the saw.

'It's my body trying to heal itself.' Derek explained, sounding weaker by the minute.

'Well it's not doing a very good job of it.' Stiles quipped and when he noticed what I was doing he made a noise of disbelief, 'what the hell are you doing?'

'What does it look like?' I said, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.

'It has to be now.' Derek told him, giving me a nod of assent, but before I could continue, Stiles piped up again.

'What if you bleed to death?' He protested.

'It'll heal if it works.' Derek said, not sounding very confident.

'If it works? You mean we're doing this with the possibility that you're still going to die afterward?' I cocked my brow in disbelief and he returned my stare, not at all intimidated.

'Doing this gives me a chance of survival. Not doing it guarantees death.' He said simply and with a deep sigh, I agreed.

I turned on the saw, ignoring Stiles' scream of horror at what he was about to witness. I was just about to put it to his skin when-

'What the hell are you doing?' Scott yelled.

'Took you long enough!' I yelled back, still a little pissed off with him.

'Thank god, you just prevented a lifetime of nightmares.' Stiles breathed, relieved.

'Did you get it?' Derek looked over to Scott, taking the bullet from him with a grateful look.

'Now what? What are you going to do?' Stiles sounded curious as he stared at Derek and waited for him to heal himself.

'I'm gonna, I'm gonna…' he passed out, the bullet falling out of his hand and rolling down the drain. I ran to his side, placing his head on my lap while Scott went to retrieve the bullet.

'Derek!' I yelled, lightly slapping the side of his face, but he was unresponsive, I placed my middle and index finger to his neck and almost cried when I found a pulse. It was faint, but it was still there.

'What are we going to do?' Stiles sounded frantic.

'I don't know!' Scott yelled back.

'Stiles, punch him in the face.' I said once my twin announced that he had pulled the bullet out of the drain.

'What?' He sounded like he might have misheard me.

'Do it!' I said, having no time for dawdling. He sighed but came to his knees and punched Derek in the jaw. He sat up and immediately reached for the bullet. Stiles and I helped him stand and he went over to the operating table, pulling the bullet apart and spilling the contents onto the shiny surface. He then pulled out a lighter; the sparks the herbs emitted made everyone but Derek take a step back in surprise. Once the flames died down, he gathered the herbs into the palm of his hand, and after taking a preparing breath, pressed them into the bullet hole, his finger jamming them directly into the wound. He cried out in pain and fell to the floor. The wound glowed blue, emitting smoke the same colour, as all of the black veins surrounding the infected area drew back to the entrance before healing altogether as if it had never happened. Once the wound was healed, Derek's cries of pain stopped as well.

'That was awesome!' Stiles shouted, pumping his fist in the air, 'Yes!'

I laughed lightly and shook my head fondly as I offered Derek a hand to help him up off the floor, which he took. Once he was standing, I found myself realizing for the first time he wasn't wearing a shirt and suddenly I didn't know where to look. Awkward.

'Are you okay?' My twin asked.

'You mean aside from the agonizing pain?' Derek muttered sarcastically.

'I'm guessing the ability to use sarcasm is a good sign of health?' Stiles quipped, earning himself a glare from Derek that made my lips twitch in amusement.

'Well, we saved your life which means you're going to leave us alone!' Scott yelled out of nowhere, 'and if you don't, I'm going to go to the Argents and tell them everything I know.'

I shared a look of annoyance with Stiles before I stepped forward and clipped Scott pretty hard on the back of the head.

'Are you stupid?' I asked him, 'you want to go to _hunters_ and tell them about Derek when you yourself are a _werewolf?_ '

Scott had the decency to look a little sheepish before he returned his glare to Derek.

'You know something Scott I-,' I started to tear into him but Stiles put his hand to my mouth to shut me up.

'No, let her finish what she was going to say,' Scott said, his arms crossing over his chest as he looked over to me.

'You two can fight later.' Stiles rolled his eyes, and after he was sure I was going to behave he removed his hand from my mouth.

'So what were we talking about? Oh, yes my incredibly smart twin brother was just saying he was going to rat out Derek to the Argents, please do continue on your brilliantly thought out spiel, little brother.' I said, my tone angry and sarcastic and that meant I was _royally_ pissed off, which never ended well for anyone.

'You would trust them?' Derek asked, glaring at Scott with his arms crossed over his chest and I couldn't help but admire his biceps for a moment. Had they always been so large? So defined?

'Why not? They're a hell of a lot nicer than you are!' Scott yelled.

'Of course they're nice,' I said with a sickly sweet smile, 'they don't know you're the very thing that they go out at night to hunt.'

'Your sister gets it, why don't you?' Derek asked, going on before Scott could answer, 'I can show you exactly how nice they are.'

I frowned over at Derek, wondering what on earth he was thinking, but he just pulled his shirt back on- which made me a mixture of disappointed and relieved- and walked over to Stiles' truck, giving him a look that said he was driving. He directed us to Beacon Hills hospital and I became even more confused.

'Wait here.' Derek told Stiles before jumping out and holding the door open for Scott and me, I closed it when my feet hit the pavement, following after the determined Derek Hale.

We were in the long-stay unit and I had a bad feeling about the whole situation. He led us in a room were a man was sat, catatonic in a chair by the window. I felt my blood turn cold with realization as I took in his appearance.

'Who is he?' Scott asked, clearly not recognizing who the man was, and why would he? He hadn't been close to the Hale family like I had been.

I felt Derek's eyes on me and looked up into his questioning gaze and I gave him a slight nod answering his silent query. I knew who this was.

'My uncle.' Derek said, his eyes shifting over to Scott, while mine went to Peter.

'Is he like you? Is he a werewolf?' Scott glanced at Derek.

'He was. Now he's barely even human.' Derek said, the emotion barely noticeable behind his words. I reached out and squeezed his hand comfortingly, without giving it much thought. I felt him stiffen in surprise and I was about to pull away but he laced his fingers through mine and held onto me tightly.

'What makes you so sure it was them?' Scott wondered, his eyes still on Peter.

'Because they were the only ones that know about us,' Derek sounded angry, I squeezed his hand slightly and he seemed to calm down a little.

'Then they had a reason.' Scott stated and this time it was Derek who squeezed my hand to stop me from smacking my brother again.

'You tell me what justifies this,' Derek hissed, using his free hand to spin his uncle around, revealing the burned and scarred half of his face, making me wince, 'they say they'll only kill an adult and _only_ with absolute proof, but there were people in my family who were perfectly ordinary in that fire. You can't trust them, Scott.'

'How did you get in here?' We all turned around to see a red headed nurse in the doorway, looking a little pissed off, 'visiting hours are over.'

'We were just leaving.' Derek said, squeezing my hand once before releasing me, and leading Scott and I out of the door.

I huffed in irritation when I saw that Stiles was passed out in the Jeep, his face squashed against the steering wheel. How he had found that comfortable enough position to sleep in I would never understand. With a devilish grin I walked to the drivers side and quietly opened the door, before leaning forward so my lips where about a hands width away from his ear.

'Stiles!' I shouted. He jolted immediately and screamed, sitting to attention. When he realized there was no danger he glared at me, but I was having too much trouble breathing I was laughing that hard. I'm pretty sure I saw Derek grin for a brief moment, but I couldn't be sure because my eyes were watering.

'Okay it wasn't that funny,' Stiles complained, but I could see that he was trying to fight breaking into a smile himself.

'Dude it kind of was,' Scott's dimples flashed as he smiled.

'We should get out of here.' Stiles ushered us into the Jeep, a smile still lingering on his lips. Scott and I sat in the back and Derek sat at the front, seeing as he was the one who would have to get out first. The ride to the Hale property was spent in silence for the most part, aside from the sound of the radio playing softly in the background and me singing to the songs I knew subconsciously under my breath. When Stiles put the car in park, Derek turned to look at the two of us in the back.

'I'm going to teach you how to control this.' He promised, and then he was gone.


	5. The Tell

Chapter Five

The ball of dread in my gut grew as I watched the body of the video store worker being wheeled out to the ambulance. Jackson and Lydia were there too, the former reminding me why I detested him so much. He could be such an asshole, and honestly I hadn't known him to be any other way.

'Why is he doing this?' I asked not taking my eyes off the distraught looking Stiles as he fought the urge to chew Jackson out for how he was speaking to the Sherriff.

'I don't know if he has a reason,' Derek admitted, I glanced over to him and saw he had his arms crossed over his chest, his usual impenetrable expression on his face as his eyes flickered over to Scott, 'are you starting to get it?'

'I get that he's killing people. This isn't standard practice is it? We don't go out in the middle of the night murdering everyone do we?' Scott asked, and I was grateful because that question had been bouncing around in my skull since we had got here, but I had been too afraid to ask.

'No. We're predators. We don't have to be killers.' Derek answered and I breathed a sigh of relief.

'What do you think?' I stood from where I was crouched to look over the ledge without being seen to face the blue-eyed wolf, 'do you have a theory over why he's on a killing spree?'

'No that's what we're gonna find out.' Derek stared straight into my eyes, allowing me to see the sincerity in his blue orbs.

'Well,' I sighed, running a hand through my hair, 'hopefully we can figure it out.'

Derek nodded and turned, heading off the roof. After we shared a look, Scott and I followed after him. Things had been a little strained between us since I had yelled at him when we got home earlier in the week after we had helped Derek. I told him that he was being a horrible, petty and inconsiderate adolescent. Seeing as he liked threatening Derek so much with ratting on him to the Argents, I pointed out that if he carried on treating Derek the way he was, there would be nothing stopping him from turning Scott into them. Though I didn't think the blue-eyed wolf would do that, but I didn't tell Scott that as him seeing how helpful Derek was being was vital to my point.

This discussion had been at the beginning of the week and Scott had avoided me for three days straight, which didn't surprise me- whenever we had a big fight he would distance himself to think about what had been said and to decide how he felt about it. He had approached me a few days ago, telling me that he saw my point and that while he couldn't promise not to disagree with Derek, he wouldn't threaten to go to the Argents anymore. That was good enough for me. For now at least.

I huffed as I walked straight into the back of my twin- we had arrived at the Hale property and he had stopped dead at the foot of the staircase inside.

'You know, I have a life too.' Scott commented.

'No you don't.' Derek didn't even pause before responding.

'We do.' I disagreed, crossing my arms over my chest, 'we just need to learn how to balance everything.'

'Easy for you to say. You're the Queen of balance.' Scott huffed.

'Being a werewolf is part of who you are now, Scotty. The sooner you accept it the sooner you'll stop complaining about the responsibilities that come with it.' I said, keeping my voice gentle as I absentmindedly tapped my foot on the floorboards, following the sound of Derek's heartbeat. I was tense for some reason, and focusing on it was helping keep me calm.

'What's wrong with you?' Scott asked, noticing my discomfort but I just shrugged in answer, not knowing myself. I think the killing at the video store with Jackson and Lydia being there was making me realise how close to home this problem was and how easy it would be for the alpha to kill someone I care about.

'Just a little close to home, that's all,' I said, his tone nonchalant, Scott's eyes shone with understanding and he squeezed my arm comfortingly.

'The sooner we can figure this out the sooner your lives can become relatively normal again.' Derek assured us, his eyes lingering on me and the foot that was still mimicking his heartbeat.

'Well how long will that take? You know what I should be focusing on? High school- I have to go to a parent teacher conference tomorrow because I'm failing chemistry!' Scott yelled.

'Yeah, but that's because Mr Harris is a dick,' I muttered, shaking my head in annoyance, 'he marked one of my questions wrong because I didn't completely fill in every inch on the circle. Total sociopath.'

'Maybe he's the alpha,' Scott said, making me snort in amusement.

'I honestly wouldn't be surprised.' I mused, my index finger tapping my chin in thought, 'I kind of hope he is because then when it's all over we'll get a new teacher.'

'Oh my god, yes! That would make life so much easier.' Scott admitted, looking lost in thought and his outburst momentarily forgotten.

'Anyway,' I shook my head, snapping myself out of my tangent and looked back over to Derek, noticing the amusement in his eyes before he deliberately removed it, 'what's this about the alpha wanting us specifically.'

'Yeah, I'm not eager to be some dude's pet.' Scott said, completely serious, and as hard as I tried I couldn't hold back my laughter. I gripped his forearm as I shook my head fondly at him.

'Part of his pack, Scotty,' I corrected him, wiping the tears of amusement from the corners of my eyes.

'Whatever,' he rolled his eyes and started up to the older man, 'I have homework to do.'

'Well if you just did your homework with me then you'd be fine,' I commented, giving Scott a look- if I could find time for school then he could too.

'Do you wanna do homework? Or do you wanna… not die?' Derek's tone was sarcastic as he observed my brother, 'the full moon is less than a week away. You don't kill with him, then he kills you. Both of you.'

Scott and I both said different things at the same time.

'Okay, seriously who made up these rules?'

'Not _another_ full moon. It's not fair that I get two pains in the ass every month.'

Scott smacked my shoulder, his nose wrinkled in disgust at what I was referring to. I just gave him a look, and opened my mouth to make a snide comment but Derek cut me off, probably sensing an argument.

'It's a write of passage into his pack.' Derek said simply.

'And we don't get a choice?' I threw my hands up in frustration, 'it's not like we _asked_ to be bit in the first place, and as far as I'm concerned he can take his precious werewolf abilities back. I don't know who he thinks he his walking around biting people and then demanding they kill someone or be killed themselves.'

'Okay, calm down.' Scott said, moving to pat my shoulder patronisingly, I glared at him and I'm pretty sure my eyes flashed.

'Telling me to calm down is the worst thing you can do when I'm pissed off, Scott. You should know that by now.' I muttered, closing my eyes and continuing to focus on Derek's heartbeat. When if felt like I was in control again my eyes snapped open and I sent my brother an apologetic look, 'you're lucky the full moon is next week and not this week.'

Scott frowned at me, not understanding but I could tell Derek knew exactly what I meant. I wouldn't have been surprised if he could tell that I was on my period by scent or something. Most girls handled their periods by complaining, I responded by having a _really_ short temper, and seeing as my patience wasn't great on a normal day it wasn't good for those around me. To be fair, it usually affected those who didn't know me well and didn't know how to deal with my angry spurts.

'What are you talking about?' Scott asked, and I blinked at him as I came out of my thoughts and frowned as I tried to remember what we had been talking about.

'Are you serious?' My brows rose I amusement, my eyes flickering over to Derek to notice he was staring at Scott with a "what an idiot" expression on his face.

'I'm on my period, Scott.' I told him bluntly, shaking my head when he literally winced as if knowing that was physically painful.

'You'll learn to notice it.' Derek told him offhandedly, his gaze darting over to me before returning to my brother.

'How?' Scott asked, curious.

'I'm assuming by scent, right?' I asked, my head cocked to the side as I tried to decide if I found the idea of him being able to smell my period disgusting or not.

'That's part of it,' Derek nodded, his own arms crossing over his chest, 'but when you get used to your other senses you'll be able to pick up on it before it happens, as you learn to recognise the smells of the different hormones.'

'Huh. Well then, maybe one of you can start giving me a heads up.' I said staring off in a daze as I remembered getting it in the middle of class the first time. Typically, it had been in chemistry with Mr Harris freshmen year. I had asked him if I could go to the bathroom, he refused and then proceeded to give _me_ detention for getting blood on one of the stools.

'Ew.' Scott's nose wrinkled in disgust.

'Okay, if you're old enough to be thinking about having sex with your girlfriends then your old enough to not say 'ew' whenever someone says the word period.' I gave him a look that made him smile sheepishly.

'Sorry it's just… gross,' he said and I had to resist the urge to punch him.

'I agree. But I assure you that when you and Allison start having sex, you're gonna want her to get her period every month.' I told him, my tone matter-of-fact, 'unless you wanna be a teenage dad?'

'Okay! I'm sorry,' he held his hands up in defeat.

'You're forgiven,' I nodded.

'Speaking of scent,' Scott said, both of us turning back to Derek, 'can't you just sniff the alpha out when he's human?'

'No. His human scent could be completely different,' he said simply, looking in between the both of us, 'it has to be the both of you. You have a link with him, one that you don't understand. If I can teach you to control your abilities, you can find him.'

'If?' I questioned, my lips twitching in amusement, 'not exactly inspiring confidence there, Derek.'

He just gave me a look that had me biting back laughter before he looked over to my twin as he spoke.

'So if we help you, you can stop him?' Scott's voice was timid.

'Not alone,' Derek shook his head, 'we're stronger in numbers. A pack makes the individual more powerful.'

'The both of us joining his pack could make him unstoppable,' I realised, and Derek nodded gravely.

'How are we supposed to stop him if we have no idea what we're doing?' Scott sounded panicked, and honestly so was I.

'He has a point you know. The most fighting experience I have is threatening to break Jackson's bones when he leers at me or grabs me. I'm fucked.' My hand ran through my hair as I spoke and tried not to hyperventilate. I might talk a good game, but I had never fought anything supernatural before, so realistically speaking I was the weaker link.

'I'm going to teach you,' Derek assured us, making his way down the stairs, 'do you remember what happened on the first full moon? Right after you were hit?'

'We changed back,' Scott and I said simultaneously.

'Mmhmm,' he nodded, looking over to my twin, 'and when you were hit by the car, same thing right?'

'Yeah.' Scott agreed.

'So what's the common denominator?' Derek asked, looking frustrated when we both shook our heads, at a loss. He reached forward and grabbed Scott's arm, squeezing hard enough to make bones crack. Scott cried out in pain and I reached forward and shoved Derek away from him, with enough force to send him into the stairs behind him.

'Sorry.' I held my hands up in defeat, 'I didn't mean to shove you that hard.'

Derek sighed and brushed the dust off his jacket, sending me a glare that I answered with a sheepish smile. He looked over to my twin and cocked his eyebrow.

'Pain.' Scott realised.

'Pain keeps you human.' Derek agreed, his eyes flickering over to me, 'maybe you will survive after all.'

With that, he turned and made his way up the staircase, signalling it was time for us to leave and we did.

 _The next day_

'Stiles, how on earth do you think Coach is more likely to be the alpha than Harris? Harris is a total sociopath!' I protested passionately as we walked down the hall with my twin, who was listening to the discussion in amusement.

'Because that's just too obvious. Everyone knows Harris is evil, so he would be the likely choice. But, it's always someone you least expect,' he pointed out, his hands waving around frantically as if it aided his point, 'back me up here Scott.'

'I'm with Stace. Harris is way more likely than Coach,' Scott said, smiling in a way that made his dimples flash.

I cheered while Stiles sent Scott a betrayed look.

'Whatever. We need to get to chemistry anyway.' Stiles said, turning down the correct corridor, though we both looked back when we saw Scott hesitating.

'Scott?' I called out.

'You guys go ahead. I'm going to talk to Allison for a second.' He shouted back. My best friend and I shared a look, simultaneously shaking our heads as we made our way to the lesson of hell. Seeing as my brother had loitered, I saw it only fitting to steal his usual seat next to Stiles; I usually sat with Lydia but I didn't think she was going to be in after what happened last night. I had heard them both tell the cops and EMT's that they hadn't seen anything, but the terrified expressions on both of their faces told a different story.

'Just a friendly reminder,' Harris started, but nothing about his tone was friendly, 'student teacher conferences are tonight. Students below a C average are expected to attend. I won't name you because the shame and self disgust should be more than enough punishment.' He walked down the isle, pausing at the station Stiles and I were seated at; the former was reading through his chemistry book, highlighting every word in bright yellow.

'Has anyone seen Scott McCall?' He looked in between Stiles and I, before we could respond, the classroom door opened revealing the entrance of a befuddled looking Jackson Whitmore.

Harris made his way over to Jackson when he was seated and leaned to murmur quietly to him, his hand on his shoulder, but we could all still hear every word, 'Jackson, if you need to leave early for any reason, you let me know.'

When Jackson nodded in response, Harris turned and walked to the front of the room, pausing before turning around to say, 'everyone, start reading chapter nine. Mr Stilinski, try putting the highlighter down between paragraphs. It's chemistry. Not a colouring book.'

I rolled my eyes at the teacher, grateful he couldn't see me. When Stiles blew the top of his highlighter into the air before catching it easily in his hand, I had to bite back a laugh at his exaggeration. I pulled out my chemistry folder and flipped to the notes I'd already made on chapter nine, pretending to ignore the conversation that Stiles was having with Danny.

'Hey, Danny can I ask you a question?' Stiles murmured.

'No,' Danny said bluntly, making me snort.

'Well I'm going to anyway,' Stiles said, after not so subtly elbowing me in the ribs, 'did Lydia show up in your homeroom today?'

'No,' Danny admitted with a sigh.

'Can I ask you another question?' Stiles leaned forward on his heat and I resisted the urge to tip him off it.

'Answer's still no.' Danny sounded frustrated.

'Does anyone know what happened to her and Jackson last night?' Stiles said quickly.

'He wouldn't tell me.' Danny admitted reluctantly.

'But he's your best friend.' Stiles sounded surprised.

Danny looked over to his best friend, shrugging as if he was at a loss to Jackson's lack of confiding in him.

'One more question.' Stiles was dangerously close to falling off his seat now.

'What?' Danny was definitely annoyed.

'Do you find me attractive?' Stiles fell forward as he waited for Danny's answer, and seeing as others were laughing I couldn't help but join in.

'You're an idiot.' I shook my head fondly as I answered the question sheet Harris was handing out on chapter nine.

 _At the end of Chemistry_

'He's not answering any of my texts. Or calls.' I told Stiles, not bothering to hide the annoyance in my voice.

'Me neither. I'm gonna try him one more time and then I'm calling my dad to report him missing.' Stiles said, from the sounds of it not completely joking as he put the phone to his ear again.

'You know he's gone off with Allison.' I gently shoved his arm with my own.

'Finally!' Stiles basically shouted, 'have you been getting any of our texts?'

 _Yeah like all nine million of them. Tell Stacey I'm okay._

'Do you have any idea what's going on? Lydia is totally MIA, Jackson looks like he has a time bomb inserted into his face, another random guy's dead and you and Stacey have to do something about it!'

 _What?_

'Something!' Stiles said, shrugging in annoyance.

 _Okay I'll deal with it later._

With that, the phone cut off, indicating that he had hung up. Stiles and I shared a look of disbelief as we continued to walk to our next class. Well, Stiles had to go to class- I had a free period, which I was planning to use to catch up on work in the library.

'You know, sometimes I wonder how differently this would have gone if Allison never came to town.' Stiles said, running his hand over his short hair, clearly annoyed with his best friend.

'He's never had a girlfriend before.' I told him, squeezing his forearm comfortingly, 'he's learning how to balance it all out, and sure he's doing a terrible job of it right now, but you're his best friend Stiles. He still cares about you.'

'Thanks, Stace.' He half smiled and walked into the classroom we had been stood in front of throwing a, 'see you at lunch!' over his shoulder.

I span on my heel and made my way to the library, taking my time; I didn't have much work to do, and none of it was due in any time soon- I was reading ahead in everything and all the assignments that were going to be due in over the next few weeks were already done. I was humming a tune under my breath, tapping a rhythm out on the straps of my backpack when I froze, catching a familiar scent. I couldn't pin point exactly where I knew it from, but the familiarity was enough to get me to follow it, when it led me to the boys locker room I shrugged, thinking it was an old scent of Scott's. I was about to turn around and head to my original destination when the door opened, revealing a slightly pissed off Derek Hale. I frowned in confusion, not understand what the hell he was doing in High school and in the locker room no less.

'You're not in high school,' I blurted, as if he didn't already know that.

'I'm aware of that,' he retorted, making his way around me and heading down the corridor.

'Then what are you doing here?' I followed a few steps after him, when he remained silent I continued, 'you know I'll just keep following you and pestering you until I get an answer. If you think Stiles is annoying you have yet to see me when I'm going after something I want.'

He stopped so abruptly that I literally walked straight in to him, sending him crashing to the floor and me on top of him. Somehow, he landed on his back so the position we were in was somewhat... provocative to say the least.

'Sorry,' I said automatically and then frowned in defiance, 'actually no. I'm not apologising this time, you were the one who stopped so abruptly when you knew I was behind you. This is your fault-,' I rambled; only stopping when he gripped the tops of my arms.

'You're still on top of me.' He stated, looking vaguely amused when I blushed scarlet in realisation and scrambled to get off him. I went to offer him a hand, only to see he was already on his feet.

'So, what are you doing here?' I asked, willing the colour on my cheeks to go away.

'I wanted to ask Jackson if he saw anything.' He shrugged before turning to go to the exit again, shouting over his shoulder, 'but he hadn't.'

I watched his retreating form until he disappeared from view and then turned to spend what little time was left of my free period in the library. If I hurried, it would be enough time to get the current chemistry chapter finished.

 _After School_

I sighed in happiness when I finally reached the animal clinic; Stiles had wanted to go and check on Lydia so he had left in his free period, which happened to be the last hour of the school day. His concern for her was touching, but less so when it meant that I had to trek three miles to get to school, seeing as Scott hadn't been kind enough to leave the key for the lock on his bike for me. I probably could have just broken it, but I didn't think my twin would have appreciated having to buy a new one.

'Ah, Stacey, right on time. You're much more punctual than your twin, I must say,' Deaton greeted me, a friendly smile on his face.

'Thank you for noticing, Deaton. I've been telling people for years that I'm the better twin and you're the first to back me up on it.' I shook my head over dramatically, grinning when he chuckled.

'Well I'm glad I could set the record straight,' the friendly doctor said, organising the surgical tools in front of him.

'Speaking of Scott, I don't know if he'll be in today… he was sick so he missed school,' I lied, shrugging and making myself busy with the receipts from the day that were stacked up on the front desk.

'Oh, well that's okay. Tell him I hope he feels better soon,' Deaton smiled.

I returned it, but grimaced when he turned away from me; Scott definitely owed me for lying to Deaton that was for sure.

My shift passed quickly- I was only doing an hour today as I had to get back to school for the parent teacher conferences. Deaton had tried to let me go early, but I refused, already feeling bad that I couldn't do my usual hours, especially seeing as I didn't actually _have_ to go- my mom just wanted to make sure everything was okay with my teachers. Even if I was the top student in all of my classes, she wanted to be sure I was fully engaging, and she had to be there for Scott as well. Seeing as my twin was currently MIA, I didn't think she would appreciate both of us disappearing under the radar, no matter how much I didn't want to go.

'See you tomorrow,' I called out behind me, before I walked out of the door and prepared myself for the three-mile walk back to hell. I hadn't even reached the end of the street before my phone vibrated, signalling an incoming call from Stiles.

'Stacey! Thank god!'

'Hey, what's wrong?' I could tell he was stressed out.

'I found something, a video, on Lydia's phone and I don't know what to do.' Stiles said, sounding on the verge of hyperventilating.

'A video of what?'

'The alpha!' he screeched and then sighed.

'Okay, send it to me, then delete it off Lydia's phone and get out of there.' I instructed him, already turning around to head in the opposite direction. I had a feeling there was someone who would want to see it.

'Alright. Done. Thank you, Stacey. See you later?' Stiles asked, his voice laced with relief.

'No problem and sure. Bye Stiles.' I hung up the phone, checking for the video file. I didn't bother watching it, thinking that seeing the alpha on the phone would make me ten times more paranoid than I already was as I trekked through the woods. When the Hale property came into view I sighed in relief and walked straight in, not bothering to knock and when I walked straight in on a shirtless Derek Hale my body had a mixture of reactions. A part of me wanted to thank the gods that he wasn't wearing a shirt, revealing all of his toned, sweaty, glorious muscles for all to see. The other part wanted to blush and cover her eyes until he had re dressed. So I went for a mixture of the two, I held my hand out in front of me, effectively blocking the shirtless area but making sure I could still see his face.

'What are you doing here?' Derek asked and I resisted the urge to lower my hand to see if he had his arms crossed over his chest. I'll bet his biceps were _huge_ when he did that.

'Stiles found something on Lydia's phone. She got the alpha on video.' I tossed him my phone with my free hand before continuing, 'I haven't watched it, I don't know if it's important but I made sure Stiles deleted it off her phone after he sent it to me.'

'Good. The last thing we need is it getting handed in for evidence and the Sherriff calling in every police man available to help him kill it.' Derek said, his eyes on my phone as he watched the clip.

'Right,' I said, lowering my arm but not being able to bring myself to look directly at him, 'why are you shirtless?'

From the corner of my eye I saw Derek's gaze flicker over me, 'I was working out.'

'Oh,' I answered, frowning as a thought crossed my mind, 'when you said you were going to help me and Scott, that covers how to handle ourselves in a fight too, right?'

'Yeah. But you need to learn to control the transformation first.' He told me, stepping forward and stopping a meter in front of me.

'Right.' My eyes still refused to look at him as I rambled, 'about that. I've really only ever transformed once and that was on the full moon, I mean I've gotten angry to the point that I feel myself start to change but I keep pulling it back. I don't even know how to conjure the feeling that I need to feel in order to transform and even if I do, I spend so much time pulling it back-,' I broke off when Derek bought his index finger underneath my chin, gently tilting my head so that my gaze met his. His eyes were soft with understanding and reassurance, and I felt myself starting to calm down as the panic subsided.

'You'll learn. Everyone's different. Scott has trouble coming back from the transformation, while you're too scared to let yourself give into your animal instinct.' Derek stated, reading my fears easily.

'I lost my temper quickly before I was bitten. I've broken Jackson's nose before now. I don't know if I can handle how much damage I could do with claws.' I told him, comfortable around him for whatever reason.

'I can help you learn control. And I will.' Derek assured me, his tone and gaze so confident that I believed him completely.

'Thank you.' I breathed; I was about to tell him I needed to leave when we both heard people approaching outside. Derek and I shared a look before he grabbed my wrist and dragged me into a room at the back of the house. He raised his index finger to my lips, indicating for me to be quiet and I just rolled my eyes. I think I figured that out on my own.

I heard the door creek open and three sets of footsteps walked over the threshold. Derek placed his back against the wall, holding me to his chest with one arm around my waist and the other over my mouth to quieten my breathing.

'I don't think anyone's home,' a male voice commented.

'Oh, he's home. He's just not feeling particularly hospitable,' at the sound of that voice, Derek stiffened behind me and I found myself rubbing my thumb back and forth comfortingly where it was resting on his forearm.

'Maybe he's out, burying a bone in the backyard,' a male voice said.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes, secretly agreeing with the next voice's response to that, 'really? A dog joke?'

But then she continued and I felt my anger grow rapidly, 'we're going there and that's the best you got? If you wanna provoke him say something like, too bad your sister bit it before she had her first litter. Too bad she screamed like a _bitch_ when we cut her in half!'

Several things happened very quickly, Derek moved me behind the counter of the room we were in, before the woman had even finished speaking. When I glanced up at him, I saw he was fully transformed, but he wasn't angry over the woman's words, at least not completely. He was protective, and when a man stepped into the room, I knew why. He growled, which happened to be when the psycho had finished speaking and threw the man through the door he had just walked through. I heard him land with a thud.

'No matter what happens. Stay here,' Derek said, his voice so low I had to strain to hear it.

I didn't know what happened after that, but I heard some more growling, another body landing with a thud and then a buzzing that sounded almost electrical. When Derek cried out in pain I had to physically force myself _not_ to bolt into help- I wouldn't have been much use and I'm pretty sure that if she found out who I was and _what_ I was, my twin would be in danger as well. I heard one set of footsteps pacing, and the sound of Derek dragging himself on the floor, before the buzzing sounding again. I heard him groan in pain as the woman made a sound of delight.

'Nine hundred thousand volts,' She said, 'you never were good with electricity were you? Or fire.' She chuckled and I growled quietly, wanting nothing more than to tear her head off for the way she was taunting him, 'which is why I'm gonna let you in on a little secret and maybe we can help each other out. Yes your sister was severed in half and used as bait to catch you and frankly a little too Texas chain saw massacre for my taste. Quite true. Now here's the part that's really gonna kick you in the balls. We didn't kill her.'

Derek must have looked disbelieving because she continued, 'what? You think I'm lying?'

'It wouldn't be the first time.' Derek replied, sounding rather weak.

'Sweetie,' she tutted, 'why don't you just listen to my heart? Tell me if I am. We. Didn't. Kill. Your. Sister. You hear that? There's no blips or upticks, just the steady beat of the cold hard truth.'

I heard her footsteps again, I assumed she was stepping away from him, 'found bite marks on your sister, Derek. What do you think did that? A mountain lion?' She scoffed, 'why aren't we helping each other out? You might as well admit what you've been guessing all along, which is… the alpha killed your sister. And all you have to do is tell us who he is and we'll take care of it for you. Problem solved everybody goes home happy.'

There was a pause that put me on edge; I assumed she was examining Derek's expression because when she continued she sounded enlightened, 'unless you don't know who he is either.'

I knew that wasn't good- Derek had just lost his leverage. Against my better judgement, I stood and slowly, quietly made my way out of my hiding place, keeping my body to the wall opposite the staircase and carefully passing over the passed out man on the ground.

'Guess who just became totally useless.' She said, and the next second gun shots were ringing through the air. I was about to jolt forward and help, but I found myself swept up in Derek's arms before I could even blink. He had managed to somehow throw me over his shoulder before sprinting into the woods. I didn't dare try and protest and just grabbed onto his bare waist, needing something to brace myself to lessen the pain of my abdomen smacking against his shoulder. When we stopped I sighed in relief, though I did frown in confusion when he didn't put me down straight away.

'Derek?' I murmured, patting his lower back gently, trying not to notice how soft but firm his body was. Damn.

He bent over and lowered me to the ground immediately.

'Thanks.' I said, but ended up gripping his arm as I stumbled, 'what the-,'

'You're bleeding,' he said softly, leading me to a tree stump and making me lean against it.

'I can see that,' I muttered, sliding down the tree stump and sitting on the floor with my head tilted back, 'it'll heal right?'

'Yeah, it wasn't laced with wolfsbane.' Derek assured me, kneeling down and observing the bullet wound on my thigh. I winced when he lifted my denim skirt a little, the fabric rubbing against the wound.

'I'm just making sure the bullet isn't inside.' He told me, his hands sure and confident. It struck me then that he must have had to do this thousands of times, making me wonder if he had ever known a life where he hadn't been hunted by hunters.

'I know. Still stings like a bitch though.' I smiled weakly, hoping to assure him.

I lifted up my thigh when he told me to, allowing him to see the other side, I could tell by the look on his face that it wasn't good.

'It's still in there isn't it?' I cursed, slamming my head against the tree.

'Looks like it. There's no exit wound.' His eyes shone with sympathy.

'Well then. Better get digging.' I said looking around for something to squeeze, Derek noticed and offered me his forearm.

'I'll heal.' He assured me when he read the reluctance on my face. I sighed and with a nod, gripped his forearm with my hand, trying not to scream as his other hand started to dig through the flesh of my thigh. Thankfully, he knew what he was doing so it didn't take him long to pull out the metal, and he left with minimum wounds himself; just a few claw marks that were already almost healed when I pulled away from him.

'So that's what getting shot feels like.' I mused, taking Derek's offered hand to stand, 'I gotta say I'm not a fan.'

Derek laughed, the sound was hoarse and almost rusty as if he hadn't found anything really funny in a long time, and I was surprised that the idea of that made my heart ache.

'Thanks for taking out the bullet.' I said, dusting the leaves off my clothes, noting with relief that there didn't seem to be any blood on my clothes.

'I owed you one,' Derek shrugged, leading the way back to his house.

'How far away did you run?' I asked, coming to walk beside him.

'A couple of miles,' he looked down to me when I groaned, his brow cocked in question.

'My mom's gonna kill me.' Was my explanation as I pulled my phone out of my back pocket. The conferences didn't start for another fifteen minutes, so I was able to tell my mom I was going to be late in advance, thankfully.

 _Hey Mom. I got held up at the clinic. Heading over now, shouldn't be too late._

 _Okay sweetie, that's fine._

I slipped my phone away and looked over to the solemn wolf beside me when I felt his gaze, 'what?'

'I can give you a ride if you want,' he offered, making me blink in surprise; that had been the last thing I expected him to say.

'You wouldn't mind?' I clarified, not wanting him to go out of his way for me.

He shook his head in answer, a half smile on his lips.

'Well it's official. You've saved my life more than once today,' I joked, lightly shoving his shoulder.

He chuckled, but otherwise didn't respond. I was starting to like Derek Hale and I didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

 _Half an hour later_

'I'm here. I'm here.' I announced, running into the chemistry classroom and taking the spare seat next to my mom in front of Mr Harris.

'Nice of you to join us.' Mr Harris commented.

'Isn't it?' I smiled sarcastically as I crossed my legs and got comfortable, 'so who are we talking about?'

'Mr Harris was just telling me that Scott needs a male authoritative figure.' Mom said, gesturing to the teacher.

'Does Mr Harris know how much of an asshole our biological father is?' I asked rhetorically glancing over to said teacher.

'While that may be so-,' Harris started, but I cut him off.

'There's no "may" about it. Our father is an abusive drunk, but maybe we should invite him back into our lives so that Scott has a male authoritative figure in his life. Or so you can blame Scott's declining grades on his abusive father next time rather than explain the reason Scott's grades are slipping has _nothing_ to do with the fact our father is no longer a part of our lives.' My voice was seething and I could tell this was about to go very bad very fast.

'Honey, it's okay. Calm down.' Mom tried to soothe me, taking my hand and I gripped it like a lifeline.

'No, I will not have him sit there and try and blame our home life for Scott's grades. You want to know why he's falling behind this semester? He's a teenage boy who just got his first girlfriend. Mystery solved. If you want to disagree with me, explain why my grades haven't dropped. Our home life is amazing; our mom is _amazing_ she does everything she can for us. I know that and I can assure you, Mr Harris, Scott knows that.' I had to force myself not to grip my Mom's hand too tightly as I spoke, because I was getting more and more pissed off. I knew Mr Harris was a dick, but this was low, even for him.

'I think we're done here.' Mom said, standing from her chair and pulling me with her, leading us out of the classroom, I was grateful when she stepped into the bathroom, out of the way of everyone's nosy stares.

'I'm sorry Mom-,' I started to apologise, but she stopped me before I could get any more words out, a soft smile on her face.

'You have nothing to apologise for baby girl. If anything I should be thanking you for standing up for me so passionately in there.' She caressed the side of my face in a motherly gesture before she pulled me in for a hug.

'Now, let's go and find your brother. He has some explaining to do for his absence today,' she muttered, turning and heading out of the bathroom. I stayed behind and splashed some cold water onto my face before I followed after her. When I reached the parking lot, everyone was in chaos. People were screaming and I could hear something growling, I knew from past experience that it wasn't the alpha, but it was definitely something. I noticed the Sherriff walking backwards with his gun out, and rushed forward, pulling him safely out of the way, narrowly stopping the car that was reversing from hitting him. He thanked me for going back to searching for where the animal was, and when we heard a gunshot ring out through the air, everyone froze. I joined the crowd to see a mountain lion, lying dead with a bullet wound in its side. I looked up and saw Allison's dad with his gun out, easily deducing who was responsible for this.

'Stacey!' I heard my Mom shout, her voice laced with panic. I followed the sound and found her easily, standing with Scott and Allison on the steps leading up to the entrance. She gripped me in a firm hug, relieved that I was alr`ight. I gave her a smile of reassurance, as I pulled away, and glared at my brother. It seemed that I was pissed off at him for some reason or another just lately and the reason always came back to his new girlfriend. Don't get me wrong, I had nothing against Allison, she was sweet and she made my brother happy. But since he met her, he was putting the youngest Argent above his best friend, his sister and his ability to help when people were in danger. To me, that was just not okay. And from the guilty look on my twin's face, he knew that too.


	6. Heart Monitor

Chapter Six

'We do _not_ need three gallons of milk!' Scott protested, trying to put one back on the shelf.

'Yes we do. I'm on my period and I use the milk to make milkshakes.' I said, taking the milk from him and putting it inside the cart.

'Mom only gave us a hundred dollars you know.' Scott reminded me as we made our way to pay.

'Yeah, we're not using that.' I waved him off as the checkout assistant put the shopping through. Mom had sent us out for essentials, but I knew we needed a lot more and she just couldn't afford it, so I was doing the weekly shop that she would usually do. I had gotten paid yesterday- Deaton paid me monthly and Scott weekly- so I wasn't going to miss the money.

'Mom won't be happy,' Scott commented, taking as many of the plastic bags as he could, leaving me to carry two.

'It's fine. We can use the hundred dollars to pay the electric before it gets shut off again.' I continued when Scott gave me a confused look, 'she tries to hide them so we don't know, but I know her secret hiding place. The electric bill is on the final notice stage, while the others are just overdue, so we have time before we need to worry about that.'

'You're amazing, Stacey,' Scott said, sounding awed. I waved him off with my free hand, not liking the attention.

'No, Mom is amazing.' I disagreed, and just left it at that, reaching over to take the car key from his hoodie pocket as his hands were full, 'you know I have supernatural strength too, right? You didn't need to carry all of those.'

'Force of habit,' Scott shrugged, looking around on the level we were on for the car.

'Dude, don't tell me you forgot what level we were parked on,' I huffed, following my twin as he went to the door to take us up a level.

'I'm pretty sure it was your turn to remember,' Scott pointed out, shoving the door open with his shoulder.

'That's irrelevant.' I mumbled as we walked down the isle of cars, when I didn't see ours I sighed in annoyance.

'Hold up the key, we can listen for the lock.' Scott said, placing the bags at his feet; if I hadn't been so focused on listening, I would have commented on how odd that was. He had supernatural strength, so the bags weren't too heavy for him. Maybe the bags being on the floor helped him hear better.

When I heard the clicking of the lock from above I could have cheered. Scott leaned down to pick up the bags, only to lose a gallon of milk as he did.

'Not the milk!' I complained as it rolled under the car.

'Sorry!' Scott apologized, getting to his knees to reach for it, 'I'll get it-,' he cut himself off and when I glanced over his shoulder from behind him I could see why. The milk was rolling back, and it had been cut open as if a wolf had clawed at it.

'Seriously?' I complained, not at all impressed.

'Stacey,' Scott scolded me, grabbing my upper arm and pulling me after him.

'The groceries!' I huffed, having no choice but to run after my brother due to his hold on me.

'You're seriously worried about groceries right now? The alpha is about to kill us and you're worried about the shopping?' Scott panted out as we sprinted to the floor below.

'Yes,' I sighed, not at all out of breath, 'you think that's the alpha?'

I tried to keep the amusement out of my tone- I was pretty sure I knew who it was thanks to the scent I had picked up right before the milk had rolled back to us. It was the same one from the locker room yesterday, but apparently Scott hadn't realised that yet.

'Who else could it be?'

I just shook my head, but didn't answer. We carried on running, reaching the second level. Scott pulled me behind a black car and then winced when I pointed to his chest, indicating that if I could hear his heartbeat then the "alpha" definitely could. He grabbed my wrist and started running again, taking us down another level, when he released me to start jumping on cars to set off the alarms, I barely held back a snort of amusement as I ran down the parkway, meeting him as he jumped off the last car. He grabbed me _again_ and yanked me to hide behind another car. I focused my hearing, trying to recognise any sound out of the ordinary. I thought I could hear him on the other side of the wall we were currently on, probably looking for us in between the car alarms we had set off. Seeing as Scott was looking the other way, I decided I was going to have a little fun with both of them and snuck away, hiding a few cars over from where my twin was.

When I heard Scott's phone ring, I could have laughed at how loud he was being when trying to turn it off, but somehow I managed to contain my amusement. I heard the banging of someone standing on the cars and then-

'Now you're dead!' Derek yelled, I assumed he had cornered my brother and I very slowly moved from my hiding place when he said, 'where's your sister?' I pounced, pulling him from the hood of the car where he had my twin pinned and throwing him to the floor, pinning him there with a loose hand around his throat.

'Now you're dead.' I laughed at the surprised look on his face before I stood, helping him stand by offering him a hand, which he took once he had recovered from his shock.

'What- How- Where?' I turned around to see my twin standing on the ground, looking between Derek and I with a confused look on his face, 'did you plan this?'

'Who are you asking there, Scotty?' I crossed my arms over my chest before I started to make my way over to the staircase, hoping the groceries were where we had dropped them.

'Both of you,' Scott huffed, walking a few paces behind me.

'I didn't know about it, but I knew it was him when I caught his scent. I was going to tell you but you grabbed me and had me running before I could,' I shrugged, jogging up the stairs.

'Why didn't I catch that?' Scott complained.

'Because you're acting like you're still human and not tapping into your advanced senses.' Derek said simply, holding the door open for the both of us, I smiled in thanks before I stepped through.

'I don't know I'm doing it though. It only happens when I'm not trying.' I muttered, picking up a handful of the groceries, jutting my head in the direction of the others silently telling my twin to do the same.

'Because when you're not trying, you're letting it come naturally.' Derek shrugged, grabbing the now half empty gallon of milk.

'You owe me a gallon of milk, by the way, I need them to make-,' I started but I was cut off by Derek's answer.

'To make milkshakes, yeah I know.' He seemed to be fighting a smile at what was probably a dumbfounded expression on my face.

'You were listening?' Scott asked, as we made our way up to the next level, where our car should be.

'I was tracking you,' Derek corrected.

'So eavesdropping,' I smirked before turning to Scott who was holding the same amount of bags I had been the first time we did this, 'grab the keys, they're in my pocket.'

Scott did as instructed and unlocked the car, popping open the trunk, without another word we loaded the bags and I told Scott he was driving home. Before we could get in the car though, my twin turned to look at Derek.

'Are you going to explain what the hell that was?' He demanded.

'I said I was going to teach you. I didn't say when.' Derek crossed his arms over his chest defiantly, and I took a seat on the hood of the car, ready to sit back and watch the show.

'You scared the crap out of us!' Scott yelled, I cleared my throat and he amended himself, 'you scared the crap out of _me_!'

I nodded approvingly, and looked over to Derek who looked like he was inhaling, when he had taken a deep breath he said, 'not yet.' I choked on a laugh at his response.

'Okay, but we were fast right?' Scott said, looking for some praise.

'Not fast enough.' Derek muttered.

'But the car alarm thing that was smart right?'

'Until your phone rang,' Derek replied, and I cocked my head to the side as I observed him, the man was not capable of giving praise was he?

'You know you're acting like some high and mighty teacher, but I think your missing the key thing here.' I piped up, grinning at Derek's confusion before I continued, 'you didn't catch me.'

'Yeah, yeah rub it in.' Scott sighed, running a hand through his hair.

'You also abandoned Scott.' Derek pointed out.

'But I saved him by temporarily abandoning him,' I countered, jumping from the hood of the car and walking forward to poke Derek in the chest, 'so I believe the score is Scott zero, Derek one and Stacey one.'

'This isn't a game, Stacey,' Derek reminded me, catching my wrist in a gentle but firm hold.

'I know. But it's less depressing if I pretend it is,' I shrugged, pulling my arm out of his hold. Derek nodded in understanding before turning to leave, but apparently my twin hadn't finished yelling yet.

'That thing that happened last night, with Stiles' dad almost getting hurt, that was my fault.' Scott yelled, guilt clouding his tone as he continued, 'if Stacey hadn't been there he could have been seriously hurt. I should have been there to do something. I _need_ you to teach me how to control this.'

'Look,' Derek sounded frustrated as he turned to face my brother, 'I am what I am because of birth; you and your sister were bitten. Teaching someone who was bitten takes time. I don't even know if I can teach you.'

'What do I have to do?' Scott panicked; I rubbed his back comfortingly as I tried not to freak out myself.

'You have to get rid of distractions,' Derek reached forward and grabbed Scott's phone, holding it up to reveal his missed call from Allison, 'you see this? This is why I caught you. You want me to teach you, get rid of her.'

'What just because of her family?' Scott snarked and I winced at the sound of his phone smashing against the concrete wall, courtesy of Derek.

'Are you getting angry?' Derek goaded, his eyes flickering over my twin's expression as he spoke, 'that's your first lesson, you wanna learn how to control this, how to shift you do it through anger. By tapping into a primal, animal rage and you can't do that with her around.'

'I can get angry,' Scott assured him.

'Not angry enough!' Derek yelled, trying to make him understand, 'this is the only way I can teach you. Now can you stay away from her? At least until after the full moon.'

'If that's what it takes.' I could hear the reluctance in his voice, and apparently so could Derek.

'Do you want to live? Do you want to protect your friends? Yes or no?' The blue-eyed wolf countered, trying to bargain with him.

'Yes!' Scott answered immediately, 'if you can teach me… I can stay away from her.'

'Good.' Derek turned to leave but paused when I shouted after him.

'What about me?' my hands smacked against my thighs in frustration.

'You just carry on as you have been, the only person you need to stay away from is Jackson so that you don't rip his head off.' Derek answered without turning around.

'Fine. I expect a gallon of milk when you pick us up tomorrow,' I yelled after him and I would never know for certain, but I could have sworn he was smiling as he walked away.

 _Half an hour later_

'You must be insane,' I huffed, leaning back into the passenger seat, 'I knew I should have drove.'

'Don't overreact. I just need to tell her that my phone is broken so she doesn't think I'm ignoring her.' Scott assured me as he parked the car in front of Allison's house.

'Whatever. Just be fast.' I told him, pulling out my phone and scrolling through Facebook.

It was fifteen minutes later that I witnessed Scott climbing back out of Allison's bedroom window, and I was about to accuse him of making out with her when I saw him stop, turn around and talk to… a bush. I didn't know whether to laugh or drive him to the nearest mental hospital. I reached over and opened the driver's side door.

'You realise you're talking to a bush, right?' I shouted over to him.

'I'm talking to Derek!' He retorted.

I frowned and looked over to where he had been facing, only to see a pair of red eyes, 'Scott! That's _not_ Derek!'

Scott's expression transformed into one of confusion, he turned back to the bush, saw the eyes and started sprinting towards the car. When I saw the alpha come out of the bush, revealing just how _huge_ he was, for a second I thought I was about to watch my brother die. But thankfully he dove into the already open drivers side and slammed the door shut. I quickly pressed the button to lock all of the doors, but lets face it- if he wanted to kill us so bad, I didn't think that some glass and metal would be a problem.

Scott and I were breathing heavily, nervous as to what he was going to do. He was slowly pacing around the car, and when he came to a full circle on Scott's side of the car, he stopped. I shuddered when he bought a finger to the window and drew a spiral in the condensation, the sound echoed in my bones.

Scott basically floored the drive home, getting us there in half the usual time. We grabbed the groceries from the trunk and raced inside. After we had unloaded everything, I grabbed the electric bill from underneath the bread bin, and went with Scott up to his room. My twin was acting all nervous and antsy; when we got into his room he shut his door, locked it and then proceeded to look through the closed blinds.

'Can I sleep in here tonight?' I asked him, not exactly calm over what just happened myself, I made my way over to his armchair, planning on making a call to pay the water bill before bed.

'Sure. I don't really want to be alone tonight either.' Scott answered, still looking through the window.

I nodded, even though he couldn't see me, and went to sit down. When my butt ended up on a warm body instead of the usual cushioned cushions I screamed. Scott screamed in reaction and switched his lamp on while I grabbed the baseball bat by the window. When the light illuminated the room and revealed Derek, a mixture of amused and worried, I almost went to hit him with the bat on purpose.

'What the hell? You do know that front doors exist for a reason, don't you?' I huffed, collapsing on Scott's bed, the side nearest to the armchair.

'Why are you two so jumpy?' Derek glanced down to me, but when it became clear that I wasn't going to answer he looked over to my twin.

'The alpha… he found us.' Scott said, deliberately leaving out where we had been, making me snort in amusement.

'So what happened? Did he talk to you?' Derek asked, standing and stopping a few paces from my brother.

'Yes we had a lovely conversation about the weather.' I said, not even opening my eyes to read the annoyance that was probably on Derek's face in that moment.

'Did either of you get anything off him? An impression?' Derek tried again.

'Yes. I got the feeling that he's a Libra and enjoys long walks on the beach.' I snarked, massaging my head with the tips of my fingers.

Scott snorted but I had a feeling Derek was resisting the urge to smother me in that moment.

'Remember your senses are heightened. Communication doesn't have to be spoken. What kind of feeling did you get from him?' Derek said, sounding close to breaking.

'Anger.' Scott answered immediately.

'Especially when he drew the spiral,' I chipped in.

'Wait, the what? What'd you just say?' Derek sounded massively interested, so much so that I sat up and opened my eyes.

'He drew a spiral, in the condensation.' I clarified, taking in his enlightened expression as I stood, 'you have this look like you know what it means.'

'Forget it, it's nothing.' He walked past me and Scott, heading for the door, but I stopped him with a hand on his arm.

'You can't do that! You can't ask us to trust you and then keep things to yourself,' Scott complained, and for once I agreed with him.

'It doesn't mean anything,' but I could tell he was lying. He gave us a half smile and turned to the door, unlocking it and then turning to face us when Scott spoke again.

'You buried your sister under a spiral,' Scott remembered, and Derek stared at him surprised that he did, 'what does it mean?'

The blue-eyed wolf went for a different tactic, placing a hand on each of our shoulders and simply saying, 'you don't wanna know.' With that, he was gone.

 _The Next Day_

'Mom, I don't know what you're talking about.' I said, grateful that she couldn't see my expression; I physically couldn't successfully lie to my mom.

'Sweetie, I know you paid it,' She insisted, her voice soft.

'You probably just did it and forgot.' I insisted, shoving some books into my locker, which was harder to do than it looked with one hand.

Apparently the electrical company had called up my Mom to confirm her payment of the bill and to assure her that the power wasn't going to get shut off. Naturally, Mom being the honest woman she was, told them that she hadn't paid the bill and they must have her confused with someone else. They gave her my account number and she realised what had happened, hence why I was lying through my teeth.

'Stacey I appreciate your help but I'm the parent and I'm supposed to take care of you,' she told me.

'Sorry, Mom I can't agree to those terms. I guess I got the caring gene from you, just like I got the ambitious one so I should go so I'm not late for class.' I said, hanging up the phone with an "I love you".

'What's up with two of my favourite people?' I said, taking the seat to the left in Stiles while my brother sat behind him.

'Aside from the fact that one of my best friends ignored me all day, which would have resulted in my dad being hit by a car if my other best friend hadn't been there… I'm good thanks, Stace.' Stiles gave me a sarcastic thumbs up, making me laugh, though I tried to smother it when I noticed the glare Scott was sending my way.

'I told you Stiles would take longer to forgive you Scotty. I only forgave you so quickly because we're twins,' I shrugged, turning to the front of the classroom as the teacher walked in.

'Thanks, Stacey.' Scott said, his tone sarcastic.

When the class ended I overheard an interesting conversation.

'So what time is he picking you up?' Stiles asked Scott.

'After I finish at the clinic later.' Scott told him.

Stiles glanced over to me in confusion, 'what about you?'

'I have no idea what you're talking about.' I answered honestly, looking in between both of their expressions; Scott looked amused and Stiles looked irritated.

'Isn't Derek teaching you too?' Stiles huffed, running his hand over his scalp.

'Oh… yeah he wants to teach us apart, so he's picking me up for my lunch hour because I have a free period after.' I shrugged; linking my arm through my twins as we walked out to the lacrosse field- we all had a free period together.

'Great, that crunches my time even more,' Stiles scoffed, irritated.

'Time for what?' I frowned; I'd clearly missed an important conversation.

'To teach you myself, so you don't have to learn from Derek.' Stiles' arms flailed around as he explained.

'I'm grateful for the extra help, but I'd like it on the record that I don't have a problem with Derek and I will continue to learn from him.' I gave Stiles a look when he made a sound of protest that made his jaw snap shut.

'So what's your brilliant idea?' Scott looked over to Stiles, changing the subject and preventing him from saying anything that might piss me off.

'You'll see,' Stiles smirked evilly at the both of us. Scott and I shared a worried look as we followed after him.

'Stiles you're an idiot,' I huffed, on my knees with my hands duck taped behind my back, my brother was in the same position next to me.

'Just don't get angry and you'll be fine,' Stiles waved his hand dismissively and took aim with his lacrosse stick again, flinging a ball into my face. It was a good thing I had supernatural healing because I was pretty sure he just gave me a black eye.

'Stiles,' Scott huffed a warning on my behalf.

'Are you getting angry?' Stiles taunted, looking down at the phone he had stolen from coach. How he was tracking both of our heartbeats at the same time I had no idea.

'Yes I am,' I growled, I could feel my eyes flashing and with the jolt of strength that came with it I tore the tape that was holding my hands behind my back and dug the my growing claws into the grass, trying to pull it back.

'Stiles you need to untie me.' Scott growled, and from the sounds of it he changed too and managed to get himself free.

The trouble was, Scott wasn't as good at coming back from the change as I was, and in that moment I was completely passed the point of being able to control myself. Stiles seemed to realise that himself because I could hear _his_ heartbeat rising at an alarming rate. I looked up to him, my vision tainted a much more defined red and I was about to charge at him when something grabbed my waist and pinned me to the ground. I looked up to my twin, my completely un-transformed twin, I idly wondered how he had managed to pull it back but at that moment my urge to maim and kill was too strong. I pushed Scott back with a firm hand on his chest and he went flying a few feet through the air as I leaped to my feet and went for the human who was flailing around like a fish out of water and I almost reached him when-

SNAP.

I screamed from the pain of my wrist being snapped in half and fell to my knees. I felt the bloodthirsty haze fall from my eyes and I looked around, confused as I cradled my wrist to my chest.

'What the-,' my eyes fell on Stiles who looked completely terrified, when I took a step toward him and he took one back I winced, 'I'm so sorry, Stiles.'

'Hey, Stacey it's okay. It's nothing Scott hasn't already tried to do,' he joked, but I could tell he was scared of me.

'Seriously, Stacey that's the first time you've not been able to hold it back. It needed to happen so you can learn to control it.' Scott assured me, pulling me into a hug.

'Seriously, kiddo it's fine.' Stiles assured me, joining us in a group hug.

'That was awful,' I mumbled against my brother's chest.

'I know,' Scott kissed my hair, 'but I think I finally understand why Derek wants me to stay away from Allison.'

'Why because she makes you happy?' Stiles had pulled away from the hug and was packing away his equipment.

'No, because she makes me weak.' Scott replied, continuing when Stiles' confusion only grew, 'when I shifted I felt more powerful, I can only shift from anger and Allison makes me feel the opposite.'

'I need to get to class,' I murmured, pulling out of Scott's hold and avoiding their gazes, 'I'll be meeting Derek after so I'll see you in economics.'

I could feel them watching after me but I ignored it, pretending to head off towards the main entrance but walking out of the gates at the last second. There was no way I was going to be able to concentrate on anything in that moment, so I decided to walk for a little bit to try and clear my head. I knew I was going to get chewed out by my Mom but in that moment I didn't care; all I could see was the fear in Stiles' eyes and the concern on my brothers. I didn't know where to go- I couldn't go home because there was a chance Mom was home napping before her night shift, I couldn't go to the clinic because Deaton would ask why I wasn't at school and I didn't want to make up a lie. So I just wandered, letting my feet carry me wherever they wanted while I was completely lost in thought.

'Stacey?' A voice said, snapping me out of my daze.

I looked up to the shocked gaze of Derek Hale and realised with a start that my feet had bought me to the Hale property. I ran my hand through my hair and dropped my bag to the floor.

'I-I- can't do this, Derek,' I hated how my voice trembled as I paced back and forth on Derek's porch.

'What happened?' The blue-eyed wolf asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

'Stiles had this brilliant idea to try and help Scott and I control our transformation, but I've only turned once so when I did this time,' I chocked on a sob, the tears I had been holding back falling down my face, 'I tried to kill my best friend.' I stopped dead and turned to face him, his face blurry through my tears, 'I can't do this Derek, I nearly ripped his head off and if Scott hadn't stopped me-'

Derek gripped my forearms, snapping me out of my hysterical rant. I blinked away the tears in my eyes and was taken aback by the concern I saw shining in his blue orbs.

'You're still new at this. When you transform you have these new urges and it's going to take you time to learn to control it. It's perfectly normal, the key thing to focus on here is that you _didn't_ kill anyone.' He assured me, his voice softer then I'd ever heard it before.

I felt my breathing return to normal and when Derek's hands moved from my forearms to wipe the wetness away from my cheeks I felt my face flush in embarrassment.

'I'm sorry for freaking out on you,' I said, trying to push down my blush to no avail.

'You're allowed to freak out,' he assured me, pulling me into a hug that I was incredibly grateful for in that moment.

'I felt like a different person.' I admitted, so low I was sure he had to strain to hear it, but when his heart continued to beat at a steady rhythm I continued, 'I think the reason it freaked me out was because a part of me _liked_ it. And when I came back and saw how terrified Stiles was of me I was _ashamed_.'

Derek didn't say anything, he just continued to hold me and listen to what I had to say. The only change was him gently rubbing my back; he must have been able to detect my emotional state because the moment I was starting to feel normal again he released me. I wiped my cheeks with the palms of my hands, surprisingly my earlier embarrassment had faded, and I felt the bond I was forming with Derek strengthen as another tether was added.

'Seeing as you're here, let's get on with your training,' Derek said swiftly, apparently he had reached his limit for dealing with emotion for that day.

'Sure,' I laughed lightly.

Then the training began. It was completely and utterly brutal. I managed to land a few shots that surprised the blue-eyed wolf, and I'd even managed to make him stumble a few times, but I didn't stand a chance against Derek so how I was going to face the Alpha I had no clue. Derek assured me that I just needed practice and I would learn with time. I hoped he was right.

'Ugh. I give up,' I muttered from underneath Derek- he had just pinned me to the hardwood for the hundredth time. I was covered in sweat, all of my muscles ached- I was done.

'You think the alpha is going to just let you surrender?' Derek asked, his brow cocked. He didn't move from the top of me- keeping me firmly pinned to the ground by my forearms.

'I'm sure I'll be a lot more motivated to fight when there's a snarling werewolf with red eyes pinning me to the ground, but your pretty face isn't so scary, sorry.' I sighed, closing my eyes trying to pretend I didn't just actually say that aloud, apparently grouchiness weakened my filter even more.

My eyes snapped open when I heard Derek laughing from above me, his eyes sparkling in amusement, and just like that I was laughing too, though when I noticed how… _close_ we actually were my amusement faded and I found myself fighting the desire I could feel blossoming in my belly. Thankfully at that moment my phone rang and Derek moved off me, offering me a hand up. I managed to answer my phone before it finished ringing and up until I realised who it was I was grateful for the distraction.

'Stacey?' My Mom's voice cut through the phone.

'Oh, hey Mom,' I ran my hand through my hair, trying to think of a distraction, 'so how's your shift going?'

'It was going great until school called me up and told me my usually very well behaved daughter skipped class.' Her tone was a little stern but worried at the same time.

'Oh, yeah, I-uh… I got my timetable mixed up and thought it was a free period. I've been stressed out with the midterms that are coming up.' I lied, once again grateful that she couldn't see my expression.

'Okay… I'll let you off this time, just don't tell your brother.' Mom answered, making me laugh. I hung up the phone with an "I love you" and turned to the amused wolf behind me who was shrugging on his leather jacket.

'What?' I asked, grabbing my own leather jacket and pulling it on.

'You physically can't lie, can you?' He smirked, making me gasp in offence.

'When it's life or death, yes.' I told him seriously, 'but not usually no.'

Derek just shook his head, grabbing the keys to his Camaro from the emerald couch and heading for the door.

'I have an errand to run, I'll take you back to school.' Derek offered, holding the door open for me.

'That'd be great, thanks.' I told him with a smile, following him out to his car. He managed to get me to the school with just enough time for me to make it to economics with Coach, which was my last class for the day.

'Hey guys,' I said, casually sliding into the seat in front of Stiles and next to my twin.

'Don't you "hey" us!' Stiles whisper-yelled as he leaned forward, his head basically resting on my shoulder, 'you disappeared! We were worried about you.'

'I'm sorry… I needed time to think about how I almost murdered my best friend,' I replied sarcastically.

'Stacey…' Stiles started but I cut him off.

'Shhh- class is starting.' Stiles huffed in my ear but he didn't reply.

Class hadn't been running for five minutes and I was ready to tear out Coach's throat. Stiles could apparently see that both Scott and I were on the verge of transforming and I could hear his accelerating heart rate as he stressed over what he was going to do. I glanced over to my twin when I heard him exhale a huge breath, his heart rate slowing down again. The distraction was enough to pull me back from the bloodthirsty haze enough to focus on Stiles' heartbeat and bring myself from the edge.

'Stace, are you good?' Stiles asked, squeezing my arm. I gave him a nod and turned to focus on the rest of the lecture.

Afterwards led to a very interesting chain of events. Apparently, Stiles had a theory that Allison bought Scott back when he was on the verge of transformation and to do that he set Scott up to be beaten up by a group of guys. I wasn't allowed to watch his experiment because of how protective I was of my twin and I didn't have an Allison to pull me back from the edge, so I headed home instead. I wasn't surprised when Stiles texted me to say he had been right, Harris had broken up the fight and now they were in detention. That teacher was a complete sociopath.

I decided to spend the night cleaning the house, seeing as Mom was still at work, and I made some lasagne for dinner because it would be easy to warm up later. I had just unloaded the now clean dishes from the washer and left a note for mom, telling her where to find dinner, when my phone buzzed with a text from Scott.

 _Meet us at the school; Derek is coming to pick you up._

 _Why? What's going on?_

 _I'll explain when you get here._

I had just read the last word of his reply when I heard a car pull up in front of the house. With a sigh and a shake of my head I shrugged on my Mom's kaki puffa jacket that was hanging by the door and my grey Uggs. I was actually wearing my pyjamas; a white vest top and black shorts, but after the day I'd had I couldn't bring myself to care. When I pulled open the passenger side door of the Camaro I jumped in and fastened my seatbelt before looking over to Derek accusingly.

'Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?' I asked, wondering if I imagined his gaze lingering on my legs for a second too long before he met my eyes again.

'I think the Alpha is Deaton, Scott says he's going to prove it isn't, though I have no idea how he's going to do that.' Derek reeled off, pulling away from the kerb and heading towards the school.

'Why do you think our boss is the Alpha?' I said, turning to rest my back against the passenger side door so that I could observe his profile with more ease.

Derek handed me a piece of paper before saying, 'my sister was led back to Beacon Hills because of this. I found it on my car after I visited my uncle earlier and it mentions the police talking to Deaton about the spiral on the animal. When I asked him about it, he lied. Why would he lie unless he was the one who did it to lure Laura back here so he could kill her and become the Alpha?'

'There's definitely something off about it, I'll give you that. But Deaton can't be the Alpha.' I shook my head in denial, continuing before he yelled at me, 'I trust my instincts, Derek and I'm never wrong about people.'

'Well, we'll see if your brother proves me wrong.' Was all Derek said.

'You have a hard time trusting people, huh?' it was a rhetorical question and we both knew it, but I couldn't stop myself from offering him some reassurance, 'for what it's worth… you can trust me.'

Derek glanced over as me with his assessing, penetrating gaze but other than giving a barely noticeable nod, he didn't say anything. We reached the school within ten minutes to see Scott and Stiles leaning against Roscoe.

'What's the big plan, Scotty?' I had my arms crossed over my chest as I leaned against the Camaro, trying not to react when Derek leaned next to me.

'Derek said we're connected to the Alpha. I'm gonna see if he's right.' Scott smiled, making me frown.

'Scott I don't like the sound of this.' I moved from the car and grabbed his arm to stop him, 'you want to draw the Alpha here to prove it isn't Deaton.'

'Yeah,' Scott looked at me as if I were insane.

'What's your brilliant plan if he shows up? I'll be dead in about two seconds and you'd last about five. If I'm dying tonight it is _not_ going to be at school!' I rambled, a knot of panic forming in my gut.

'Stacey, he won't kill us he wants us to be part of his pack.' Scott disagreed, sounding gullibly confident.

'Okay, what about Derek, what about Stiles?' My brows rose challengingly.

'Derek can take care of himself and Stiles-,' Scott cut himself off and looked over to our best friend, realising how bad this could go for the first time.

Stiles looked moderately offended and squeezed out a, 'I'll be fine.' But none of us believed him.

'Scott, I'm telling you don't do whatever you're planning,' I pleaded and for a second he looked like he was going to listen, but I saw the flicker of resolve grow in his eyes.

'I'm doing this.' He marched into the school, Stiles trailing after him while I growled in frustration and punched the bricked wall coming off the staircase hard enough to break off a few bricks.

'Okay, calm down.' Derek said, frowning in concern.

'Tell me that we're not all about to die and I'll be calmer than ever.' I ran my hands through my hair, my voice on the verge of hysteria.

Derek opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by something that sounded like a cat being strangled to death. Derek shook his head in disbelief, his expression made me laugh a little, despite the situation. I saw the blue-eyed wolf's lips twitch in amusement before the sound of a roar that made my eyes involuntarily flash. Derek went from amused to angry in a heartbeat, and I was personally glad I wasn't Scott when he joined us a moment later.

'I'm going to kill you!' Derek yelled, pointing at Scott and Stiles, ' _both_ of you. Are you trying to attract the entire state to the school?'

'Sorry, we weren't expecting it to be so loud.' Scott apologised, though the huge grin on his face contrasted with his words.

'Yeah it was loud!' Stiles exclaimed excitedly, slapping my twin on the shoulder, continuing when he saw Derek's furious expression, 'come, on don't be such a sour wolf.'

'You're both stupid.' I muttered, glancing over to Derek's car and noticing the driver's side door open, 'why is your car open?'

Derek glanced over and saw the door open and rushed over to glance in the back seat.

'What did you do with him?' Scott yelled, confusing me.

'Do with who?' I asked, looking over to Derek.

'He had Deaton tied up on the back seat,' Stiles informed me.

'How did I not notice that?' I wondered aloud.

'I didn't do anything!' Derek said, sounding freaked out and I could understand why; if he had been in the back seat he had gotten out without the two werewolves nearby noticing him.

'He didn't.' I agreed, standing next to Stiles while Scott stood on his other side.

Several things happened very quickly. The Alpha turned up out of nowhere, his claws sinking into Derek's back. I screamed as blood started flowing out of his mouth and stepped forward, planning to go to where the Alpha had just thrown him, but my twin and Stiles dragged me kicking and screaming into the school.


	7. Night Lunatic

Chapter Seven

'No! We need to get to Derek!' I struggled against the arms that were around me and stopping me from rushing to the older wolf's aid.

'Stacey, stop!' Scott yelled, pinning me to the wall while Stiles slammed the school's front doors.

'We can't just leave him out there, Scott!' I screeched, the image of blood pouring from his mouth making me fight harder.

'Stacey, listen to me! We will find a way out of here and we will take him with us.' Scott's voice turned softer, the same tone that he used to use to calm me down after I had a nightmare when I was little.

'We better Scott.' I growled, feeling my eyes flash, 'he's saved our asses before and he'd do it again if this were the other way around.'

Scott nodded, releasing me when he noted that I had calmed down. We both turned to look over to our best friend, only to notice that he was about to run out of the door.

'What the hell are you doing?' Scott yelled moving to grab Stiles' arm.

'We need something to lock the doors.' Stiles muttered right before he sprinted out of the door, despite the yells of protest coming from Scott and I. Scott and I screamed at him to come back when we noticed the Alpha poised to strike behind him. He didn't need much encouragement and he was back inside the school with us at a speed that would have impressed coach.

'How do you plan to lock the doors with those?' I asked, eyeing the bolt cutters with clear scepticism.

Stiles didn't answer verbally; instead he just threaded each handle between the bars. Only then did he notice the dilemma. With an eye roll I stepped forward, I took a deep breath, and bent the handles so they curved and stopped them from falling off. Both boys looked mildly impressed but I just ignored them and dragged them away from the doors and into the closest classroom.

'What the hell are we going to do?' Stiles whisper-yelled, making me roll my eyes; him whispering wouldn't make the Alpha deaf to his words.

'I don't know!' Scott yelled back just as frantically.

'It's your boss!' Stiles looked in between the both of us, his eyes looking a little crazy.

'No it's not!' Scott denied it and I patted his shoulder, silently agreeing with him.

'Deaton disappears and that thing shows up to toss Derek through the air ten seconds later? That's not a coincidence.' Stiles argued, becoming more and more agitated.

'Okay, we can argue about this after we get out of here _alive_.' I muttered, stressing the last word of my sentence, trying to clue the boys in how much danger we were actually in.

'She's right.' My twin agreed, crossing his arms over his chest.

'Well what are we supposed to do?' Stiles basically screeched.

'We just need-,' Scott started but I slapped my hand over his mouth, he looked confused but remained quiet, two sets of eyes watching me as I started to rummage through the teacher's desk.

I could have cheered when I finally located a memo pad and pen, pulling both out of the draw and slapping them down on the desk in between the boys. They looked even more confused so I quickly wrote a short sentence to explain my actions.

 _The Alpha can hear us, voicing our plans isn't the smartest idea._

The boys' eyes clouded with realisation and Scott took the pen out of my hand and started writing a response.

 _Good thinking Stace. I was going to say we just need to get to Stiles' truck._

Stiles nodded and added to the plan.

 _We need a distraction. If he can hear us talking he'll be able to hear us heading for the truck._

I took the pen then.

 _How about we set off the fire alarms from one end of the school and then sprint to the other end? We'll have to be fast; though it won't talk it long to figure out it was a decoy._

They nodded their assent to my plan and with that we set off towards the back of the school, pretending to look for an exit out of the back. It was also where the fire alarm was located. Scott tried to open the doors, but when he was met with resistance none of us were surprised.

'What's up?' Stiles asked, playing along.

'It's blocked.' Scott muttered, he looked over to me and we braced ourselves, preparing to run. I nodded and then pulled the alarm, sprinting to the front exit, with Stiles and Scott not far behind me. We weren't that far from the front and when we busted out of the front door, Stiles went to start up the jeep while Scott and I went over to Derek and picked him up, each of us slinging an arm around his waist. I heard an enraged roar just after we had situated a bleeding and unresponsive Derek into the back of Roscoe.

'Stacey.' Scott whispered, panicked.

'Get in.' I growled allowing him to climb into the free back seat before taking my own seat in the passenger and turning to Stiles, 'drive.'

Stiles didn't need telling twice and floored the car, getting us off the school grounds in five seconds flat. Scott and I heard another roar that made us share a worried look, but when the howl disappeared into the night I let myself completely relax. We were heading back to the McCall house, knowing my mom wouldn't be home, when Scott piped up from the back.

'What time is it?'

'A little after eight.' I told him after I checked my phone, pulling my mom's coat tighter around me. The adrenaline was starting to wear off and the fear I had been surprising was coming back full force; I was getting my mom's scent from the coat and it was helping me stay calm.

'Can you drop me off at Allison's? I was supposed to be meeting her.' Scott murmured, sounding exhausted but I wasn't going to comment, I knew how much Allison meant to him.

'Sure.' Stiles replied, speaking for the first time in what felt forever.

The truck took a different turn to accommodate Scott's request and I leaned over the seat to check on Derek. His eyes were wide open, which was monumentally disturbing, but when I felt his pulse I relaxed, knowing he was healing. I assumed his body had shut down to accommodate the length that he had to heal, and from the deep claw marks in his abdomen he definitely had a long way to go. I felt the truck slow to a stop and silently clambered from the passenger seat to allow Scott the room to get out.

'Be careful, Stace. And keep me updated.' Scott hugged me and I returned the embrace, silently grateful that we had managed to get out unscathed. I just wish the same could have been said for Derek.

'I will. You too, Scotty.' I murmured into his chest, sending him a soft smile as he walked to Allison's front door. I made Stiles wait until he was safely inside before I let him drive away.

The drive to my house was silent, but comfortable. I actually found myself dozing off and when Stiles woke me up with a hand to my shoulder I felt massively disorientated. My cheek was cold from where I had been leaning against the window and I had to take a moment to blink myself awake.

'How do you wanna do this?' Stiles asked, running his fingernails over his head after he had turned off the engine.

'Can you help me get him upstairs? If I get him to my room I can look after him while he heals.' I unclipped my seatbelt and lowered Stiles seat before joining him on the driver's side.

'Are you sure? I mean it looks like it's going to be a while before it heals, how are you going to keep this from your mom?' Stiles questioned, but he still helped me get the older wolf from the back of his jeep regardless.

'I'll figure it out. She's working back to back over the next few days and if he takes longer than that to heal… I'll figure it out.' I huffed from the weight of the wolf; I may have supernatural strength but that didn't make him any lighter. He was basically pure muscle.

With a lot of sweat, patience and a few tears (from Stiles), we got Derek upstairs and onto my double bed. Stiles left after getting a text from his dad asking him why he wasn't home, seeing as there was a police enforced curfew. I closed and locked my bedroom door before standing at the foot of my bed and wondering how I was going to handle this. My bedroom lay out was similar to Scott's, basically exactly the same actually. My bed was adjacent to the door, my bathroom to the right and my desk to the left against the wall. My colour scheme was blue and grey; the walls and duvet were a royal blue and the room was decorated with pops of grey through the extra pillows on my bed, the curtains and the soft fluffy rug at the foot of my bed.

With a sigh, I shrugged off my mom's coat and hung it on the back of the door, my Uggs being kicked off next to my desk. After I had my hair secured with a hair-tie I made my over to Derek, reaching for the first aid kit I had started keeping in my room after my first week volunteering at the hospital. You'd be surprised at how many people came in to the emergency room with injuries that could be treated with a common first aid kit. Of course, this wasn't one of those times, but I would have to make due. I pushed his jacket from his shoulders and cut his shirt down the middle, starting at the bottom and working my way to the top, mindful of the parts that were imbedded in his flesh. Once his grey t-shirt was out of the way I forced myself to go into professional mode, cleaning the wound out with saline and stitching together the skin, assuming that would help the healing process along. The gashes were long and thick, so it took me almost an hour, but eventually I was covering up his wound with a giant bandage and a tired sigh.

I readjusted his head so that it was properly resting on my pillow, and thanked the gods that I hadn't had enough time to make my bed this morning; it allowed me to pull the covers over Derek's resting form without having to try and move him from on top of them first. I gently pushed his eyes closed, because his unseeing stare was really starting to freak me out. I went to my bathroom to brush my teeth and to think over what I was going to do next. I couldn't sleep in Scott's room on the off chance my mom checked on me before she went to bed in the morning; I couldn't lock the door from the outside so I wouldn't be able to keep her out. But sharing the bed with Derek just seemed too intimate. I eyed the egg shaped white indoor hammock that hung from the left side of my bed; it wouldn't be the comfiest but it would have to work. With a sigh I grabbed the fluffy grey blanket from the foot of the bed and curled up in the chair, exhaustion claiming me quickly, thankfully.

I jerked awake, unfortunately not to the sound of my alarm or the sun shining through the windows, but due to a nightmare. It was of the Alpha, but instead of us getting away like we had last night, I was forced to watch Derek, Stiles and Scott be mauled and mutilated in front of me. I glanced over to the clock on the nightstand, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. It was five thirty in the morning and I knew I wasn't going to get anymore sleep, so after grabbing my running shorts and sports bra, I went to the bathroom to change.

When I emerged I went over to Derek, gently pulling back the covers to reveal his perfectly sculpted chest and peeling back the bandage. I noticed that the wound was healing, though very slowly it seemed. I cleaned it with more saline and placed a fresh bandage over it, before tucking him back in. I closed my curtains, not wanting the rising sun to disturb him, before grabbing my phone and headphones, quietly closing the door behind me.

'Hey sweetie, I thought you'd still be sleeping.' Mom's soft voice startled me as I made my way down the stairs.

'Oh yeah, I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd go for a run before school.' I told her, walking over to give her a hug, 'I made some lasagne last night; it's in the oven. I did the laundry too, so you just get some sleep.'

'You're the most amazing daughter in the world.' Mom gushed, making me laugh.

'And you're delirious. Get some sleep.' I kissed her cheek and left for my run with an 'I love you.'

I welcomed the burning in my thighs as I reached the usual trial I ran into the woods. It was my favourite because it wasn't all-flat or too hilly, it was a perfect mixture of both and gave me a good cardio work out. As I ran, I let the events of the past twenty-four hours washed over me, running faster and harder as the fear; worry and anger reappeared as I relived the memories. The Alpha was really starting to irritate me; he was interfering with our lives and I was tired of fearing from my life every god damn day. But I didn't see a way we could stop it; we didn't even know who the Alpha was and if I wanted my life to be normal ever again, we were going to have to stop him. Of course we already knew that; he was murdering people, with no apparent reason, so lives depended on us stopping him. The craving for normalcy just added to my determination. It was just after six thirty when I returned to the house, and I wasted no time before I jumped into the shower, wanting to wash the sweat off me.

I was softly singing under my breath when I stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel around me. I was just about to step into my room when I remembered the unconscious wolf on my bed- I hadn't thought ahead and didn't have a change of clothes with me. Cursing under my breath, I opened the door, a cloud of steam accompanying my exit. Determined to find a change of clothes as soon as possible I went straight to my giant chest of draws, which just happened to be on the same side of the bed as the unconscious Derek. But he was unconscious- that was the main thing. I quickly grabbed some clean panties, a bra, some socks, black denim shorts and a pale pink vest top before rushing into the bathroom to change.

When I was fully clothed, I tossed my used towel into the hamper and brushed my damp hair into a messy bun on the top of my head. I was just about to grab my backpack and head down stairs to make some breakfast when I heard a groan of pain coming from my bed.

'Stacey?' Derek groaned out in confusion, I went to his side instantly.

'Hey, how are you feeling?' I asked him, my voice soft.

'Like I was tossed twenty feet by an alpha,' he muttered sarcastically, 'what happened?'

I told him everything that had happened after he had been attacked at the school. If I wasn't mistaken he was a little impressed that we had managed to survive the attack so well. I informed him about what I had done when we had got to my house, ignoring the appreciation in his gaze; it wasn't anything anyone else wouldn't have done.

'I should go.' He said suddenly, moving to get out of the bed, but I held him down without much effort with a hand on his shoulder.

'You can stay. My mom should be sleeping all day and when she gets up she'll head straight to work. You need the rest and exerting yourself to get out of here isn't going to help with the healing.' I gave him a look that made the fight leave him and I was relived.

'Are you hungry?' I murmured, resisting the urge to reach out and hold his hand.

'A little.' He admitted, a little reluctantly. I could tell he didn't like the idea of someone waiting on him hand and foot, he didn't like being vulnerable. I vowed then and there to never use any of his weaknesses against him.

'Okay, I'm going to make some breakfast. If you need the bathroom, it's just through there.' I indicated to the bathroom before heading downstairs and getting to work on making breakfast. I decided on pancakes, because it was easy and I had enough whipped up to feed me, Scott and Derek in fifteen minutes. I also wrapped a few up in foil for mom to have before she left for work later on. I carried the plate and a glass of orange juice up to my room and handed them to the injured wolf, giving him a small smile before leaving him to eat his food in peace. Seeing as I hadn't heard a peep from my brother, I decided to go and see if he was awake.

'Scott.' I murmured, not wanting to be too loud encase I woke mom, when I got no answer I just pushed the door open anyway. I rolled my eyes when I realised he was still snoring; I pushed his curtains open and crouched down beside his bed, bringing my lips to his ear and shouting his name. I smothered a laugh when he jerked up, though it was hard when he glared at me in annoyance.

'If you want pancakes, you need to get up or I'll eat them all myself.' I gave him an evil grin before I left, knowing the promise of his favourite breakfast would be enough to get him moving. I finished my own breakfast just as my twin came down to get his.

'Eat up, Scotty, a growing werewolf like you needs their strength,' I winked, laughing when he lightly shoved me on his way to get juice out of the fridge.

'How are you this chipper this early in the morning?' He groaned, sitting at the table and digging into his pancakes. I chuckled in amusement when I noticed his mood pick up as he ate, boys were too easy sometimes.

'I went for a run, endorphins and all that.' I answered, my tone dry with humour.

'I thought I heard you.' Scott mumbled, making my nose wrinkle in disgust as I could plainly see his chewed up pancakes.

'I'm gonna go and grab my bag before Stiles gets here.' I said standing from my seat and moving to do just that before a soft voice stopped me as I placed a foot on the first step.

'Is he okay?' Scott wondered, his voice laced with worry.

'He's healing.' I assured him with a smile before heading up the stairs. I smiled when I saw his empty plate and glass on my bedside table. He was sat up, reading through the book I had left on the nightstand. It was _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,_ and I was a little amused to see that he was quite enraptured with the book.

'Hey,' I murmured, slinging my bag over my shoulder so I had free hands to carry down the now empty plate and glass.

'There's a full moon tonight.' Derek stated just as I was about to leave again.

'I know.' I forced a smile, trying to hide my concern.

'Do you have a plan?' Derek cocked his brow.

'Stiles has a plan.' I shrugged, pursing my lips as I considered that, 'whether that's comforting or not I'm not sure.'

Derek gave a reluctant chuckle that made my lips twitch.

'Scott has Allison, so he should be okay for the day and I'm assuming Stiles is planning on tying us up later.' I said, he gave me a look that had me blushing when I realised how what I said sounded.

'I can help you, if you want.' Derek offered, surprising me a little.

'You don't have to, I know you're healing.' I said, I sounded unsure and I hated it, but I didn't want him to feel obligated to help me just because I had helped him a little.

'I'll be fine by the time the moon rises, if not before then.' Derek waved me off and I tried not to stare at his naked chest. Even with the giant bandage on his side, he was beautiful.

'If you're sure…' I trailed off continuing when he nodded, 'then I'll see you here later.'

'I'll be here.' He assured me, I left him with a smile, softly closing my door behind me.

The first half of the day passed by slowly, which I was actually grateful for; with everything that had been happening just lately it was nice and… normal. Scott and I only had the full moon to worry about that day, but Scott was preoccupied with Allison so he seemed to be doing fine. The same could not be said for me; I felt like I was personally responsible for everyone's emotions. I could _feel_ everything. It was like when I'd first changed and I didn't know how to control my supernatural hearing- everything had been too loud, too unbearable. I was able to handle it for most of the day, but by the last class it was getting to the point that I felt like I was going to explode; I was feeling jealousy, anger, exhaustion, frustration, happiness and lust- all at once. It had to have something to do with the moon but I didn't know how to tune it all out.

'Stacey?' Stiles asked, his concern hitting me like a punch to the gut from where he was seated behind me.

'Stiles…' I breathed out, grabbing my bag from where it rested at my feet, 'I need to get out of here.' With those words, I bolted from my seat ignoring the calls of my English teacher and bolting for the showers, my only thought that I needed to be alone and I needed to cool down. I was burning up.

I barged into the boys locker room after determining it was empty; I was too desperate to bother going to the girls. I dumped my backpack just outside of the wash area and switched on the showers, stepping under the cold spray, clothes and all. I willed the ice water to cool my skin and slow down my heartbeat, but it wasn't doing as good of a job as I'd hoped. I didn't know how long I had been standing there for when I heard an unsure voice from behind me.

'Stace?' It was Stiles, and I winced from the concern I could feel coming from him.

I turned around slowly, not turning off the water and resting my back against the tiled wall. I noted his relief when he saw that I hadn't transformed.

'Stiles.' I gasped out, trying not to sob at how helpless I felt.

'Are you okay? Are you changing?' he asked, stepping forward and switching off the water, he reached forward to squeeze my arm, his eyes widening when he touched my skin, 'Stacey you're freezing.'

He shrugged off his hoodie and draped it over my shoulders.

'It's too much,' I told him, hating the tears that were falling down my cheeks.

'What is?' he asked, his arm around my shoulders, his hand rubbing up and down my arm to generate some friction.

'Everyone's feelings… I could _feel_ everything. It was too much I felt like I was suffocating.' I mumbled against his chest, focusing on his heartbeat to stop myself from freaking out again.

'It's probably just the full moon.' He assured me, resting his chin on top of my head, 'everything will go back to normal tomorrow.'

I sniffled against his chest and hugged him tighter, so grateful for my friendship with him in that moment. We were stood there until the bell went to signal the end of the last class of the day, snapping us out of our embrace. I went to take off Stiles' hoodie but he held his hand up, stopping my actions.

'You need it more than I do Stace- you're soaked through.' He murmured reaching down to pick up our bags from the floor.

I realised he was right; of course- my white vest top was soaked through, placing my white t-shirt bra on display. With an embarrassed flush, I zipped up Stiles' hoodie; it came to a rest half way down my thigh making it look like I wasn't wearing anything underneath but I didn't care.

'Let's get you home, we need to get ready for the moon.' Stiles murmured, resting his arm over my shoulders once again in a comforting gesture.

We had just reached the jeep when my twin joined us, looking confused when he saw my wet hair and then concerned when he saw that I had been crying. Thankfully, he didn't ask me what was wrong and just climbed into the passenger seat of the truck while I went to the back. The drive home was filled with awkward silence as I saw Scott giving me worried glances and giving Stiles questioning glances. I knew the latter wouldn't say anything to my concerned twin while I was still within hearing distance and for that I was grateful. When we got home I opened the trunk and climbed out that way, too anxious to wait for Scott to get out. I ran inside the house without waiting to see the boys' progression, bolting straight to my room. I was about to face plant onto my double bed when I saw the blue-eyed wolf I had left here this morning, his gaze painted with concern.

'Hey.' I murmured weakly, going over to my closet to get some dry clothes and hoping that he wouldn't ask me what was wrong. I pulled out an oversized hoodie that used to belong to Scott and a pair of jeans, without a word I went to my bathroom to change. Once I was done I took my hair from the bun it had been secured in for the day, letting it loose over my shoulders.

As far as I was concerned the whole day could just go and suck balls. I was exhausted and felt completely drained physically and emotionally. I could hear Scott, Derek and Stiles talking just outside the door and I sighed, wishing they would stop worrying about me.

'What happened?' Derek murmured, I could tell he had lowered his voice in an attempt to not be overheard.

'She ran out of our last class and I found her standing under freezing cold water in the boys locker room. When I asked her what was wrong she said she could feel what everyone else was feeling and it was too much.' Stiles replied, his voice betraying his concern.

'The moon's affecting her worse than it did last time.' Derek realised.

'What does that mean?' Scott asked.

'It means she'll be more out of control and more bloodthirsty when the moon rises.' Derek answered, I could hear something that sounded like ruffling clothing and walked out of the room to see Derek putting on one of Scott's shirts.

'So I'm going to want to go on a massacre tonight?' I questioned, trying to sound casual but from the sympathy in the three pairs of eyes on me I supposed I failed.

'I'll make sure you don't.' Derek promised, his voice full of confidence that offered me the assurance I needed.

'Let's just get this over with.' I mumbled, pulling the long sleeves of Scott's hoodie over my hands.

'Is that my hoodie?' Scott asked, sounding affronted and actually managing to make me laugh.

'It was but you gave it to me, remember?' I told him, trying and failing to sound innocent.

'So how are we going to do this?' Scott wondered, eying Stiles and Derek after he lightly ruffled my still damp hair.

Stiles pulled out some chains from a gym bag I hadn't noticed he had been carrying in answer. Scott and I shared a look of dread before our shoulders slumped in simultaneous defeat.

'Fine. Lets get on with it.' Scott answered for the both of us.

'We'll have to split you up. You'll be stronger together and we need to avoid that.' Derek said taking some of the supplies from Stiles' bag and placing them on the end of my bed before standing and sizing up Scott and I.

'Stiles, you take Scott seeing as Stacey is likely to be more out of control tonight I'll need to watch over her.' Derek said and Stiles obeyed slapping Scott's shoulder and heading to his room.

'See ya tomorrow Scotty.' I whispered, giving him a tight hug.

'You'll be fine, Stace.' He kissed my forehead and left, closing the door gently behind him.

'I gotta say, I'm not a fan of being the one who's "out of control."' I told the wolf watching me as I ran a hand through my hair and took a seat in my hanging chair.

'There's nothing wrong with losing control in the beginning. You're learning and that's nothing to be ashamed of.' Derek assured me, I frowned at him when I noticed him pacing around the room as if he were looking for something.

'I need something secure that I can attach you to. Something that won't easily break.' Derek said, noting my confusion, I simply nodded in understanding.

Derek said I could get along with something to distract me, and promised he would let me know as soon as it was time to… well tie me up. I wondered if I would ever be able to think about that without flushing.

I managed to finish my reading ahead in history, which made me ahead for all of my topics for the entire semester. Once I was done I packed away my things, knowing I had already done all of my homework that was due in over the next week, and waited. I carried on reading the third Harry Potter book, pleased that Derek hadn't lost my place when he read it earlier.

'It's time, Stacey.' Derek murmured softly and I was glad; I had been just about to ask him to tie me up anyway; my skin was stretching again like it had on the night of the first full moon, except this time it felt like I had a thousand needles embedded into my skin.

'Please hurry.' I whispered, resisting the urge to scream from the pain.

Derek gently took my hand and led me to the centre of the room. He hadn't found anything to tie me to, so he was settling for wrapping the chains around me, pinning my arms down so that I couldn't swipe out. I was briefly worried I would end up feeling claustrophobic, but honestly I hardly paid the chains any mind because the pain was getting worse.

'Breathe through it, Stacey.' Derek's tone was authoritative and commended me to listen to him.

I did as he said, focusing on his heartbeat as I did. Amazingly, the pain eased and I relaxed against the floor, my face buried in my grey fluffy rug.

'That's it.' Derek murmured comfortingly.

The night passed slowly; I was surprised that the neighbours didn't call the cops with how much Scott and I were screaming well into the early hours of the morning. I just lay still, not wanting to chance my super strength if I made any hasty movements. Basically I just lay still, screamed when the pain was unbearable and begged for it to stop. Derek seemed sympathetic and offered me occasional words of encouragement, and though he didn't know it he offered me hope. Hope that someday I could be like him, completely unaffected and unharmed by the full moon. It made the night pass a little easier.

I was so exhausted when the pain finally faded that I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness, right there, chained on my bedroom floor. I felt the metal give way before I was lifted and tucked up in my bed, but I was on the verge of sleep so I didn't offer anything other than a small groan, at least until the comforting scent that had been surrounded me started to fade as he pulled away, and I reached out with a strength I didn't know I had and asked him to stay. I felt him hesitate, and if I had been fully conscious and hadn't just endured endless amounts of agony I would have taken back my request out of sheer embarrassment. But I didn't need to worry, a moment later Derek slipped into the other side of the bed, and I slung my arm across his abdomen, snuggling into his side and inhaling his scent. I would regret my actions in the morning, but in that moment I needed the warmth, the comfort of his scent and I was incredibly grateful to him for being there for me.

 **Hey guys! I decided to combine two chapters here because I changed the plot with regards to how they got away from the alpha at the school. I quite like how it worked out; it helped Derek and Stacey get closer and also prevented Derek from being declared a fugitive. I hope you're enjoying the story so far! Leave me a review and let me know what you think :)**


	8. Wolf's Bane

Chapter Eight

'Stacey, slow down!' Scott screeched from the passenger seat, holding on to his seatbelt for dear life.

'No, keep going!' Stiles disagreed, leaning forward from the back of the Camaro.

'If she keeps going this fast, she'll kill us!' Scott yelled.

'If she slows down,' Stiles paused and gestured to the SUV that was gaining on us from behind, 'they'll kill us.'

'He's right, Scotty. They think we're Derek and they want him dead.' I said, brushing my hair from my face and readjusting the rear view mirror to give me a clear view on how close the headlights were.

'Derek owes us for this,' Stiles huffed, twisting to rest his arm on my seat so he could look out the back.

'I hope he finds something,' Scott whispered, gripping his seatbelt hard enough that his knuckles were turning white.

Derek had asked us to distract the hunters while he questioned someone his sister had mentioned when she had last spoken to him. I had no idea who this person was, but I hope it was a lead because we were no closer to finding the alpha. I had a feeling that by the time we reached the next full moon, the alpha was going to force us to join his pack whether we wanted to or not.

I took a sharp right turn, smothering a laugh when Scott yelped and Stiles went flying from one side of the car to the other. Served him right for not wearing a seatbelt.

'Who's idea was it to let her drive again?' Stiles complained, popping up in the back and rubbing his head.

'Derek's.' Scott winced.

'What is going on there, anyway?' Stiles asked curiously.

'What do you mean?' I frowned, glancing back at him only for Scott to scream at me to keep my eyes on the road.

'You two looked pretty cozy this morning.' Stiles commented.

'What?' Scott asked, confused.

I winced and sent Stiles a glare in the rear view mirror—I had almost gotten away with Scott not finding out.

'I was in exhausted after the full moon and I didn't want to be alone, so I asked him to stay,' I shrugged, taking another sharp turn, grinning when Stiles yelped as he went flying again.

I couldn't help my mind going back to that morning; Derek and I had been talking for a while before Stiles barged in.

 _I blinked, groaning at the pounding in my head. I almost gasped when I felt a hand rubbing up and down on my arm in a comforting gesture, but the events from the night before came back to me and prevented me from freaking out._

 _I lifted my head from his chest and offered him a smile, 'morning.'_

' _Morning,' he cocked his brow in amusement; I assumed it was because of how non-chalaunt I was acting._

 _Honestly I didn't know why I was either—it should have been awkward but it just wasn't. I knew then that last night had cemented a bond between me and Derek, a tether that couldn't be broken._

' _Thank you for last night.' I told him, my chin resting on top of my hand that was on his chest._

' _I owed you… again.' He smiled, making me smile in turn before he continued, 'I know you're sick of hearing this, but you'll learn.'_

' _Have you ever struggled with the full moon?' I murmured, readjusting myself so my head was resting on his chest again; I knew that if he did answer he wouldn't want me to see the vulnerability on his face._

' _Of course, it's supposed to be easier for those who are born as a wolf but it never felt that way.' Derek admitted, his voice soft, I felt him playing with my hair but I didn't think he was aware of it._

' _Who did you have? To help you, I mean.' I wondered, my tone matching his._

' _My uncle Peter,' he answered, I felt my nose wrinkle in distaste—I'd never gotten a good vibe from the older Hale, 'my mom was running the pack, so he offered but I'm sure he regretted it.'_

 _I smiled when he chuckled and patiently waited for the rest of the story._

' _I remember one of the times I actually thought I had control… I had wanted to play in a basketball game for my team, I knew they needed me, and it was on the night of a full moon. But I was wrong, just before we went out I started to feel it and while the rest of the team went out I stayed behind under the spray of the showers.'_

' _This is sounding very familiar.' I commented, lifting my head and grinning at the blue-eyed wolf._

' _I suppose. But that's why I'm so hard on Scott. If I struggled with control when it was supposed to be easier…' he trailed off, still playing with my hair._

' _Then Scott and I will be a hundred times worse.' I nodded in understanding, 'so what happened? Did Peter find you?'_

' _Yeah, told me I was an idiot for risking so much for a basketball game,' he rolled his eyes when I quirked my brow, 'and he tried to teach me to control it with the triskillion. It's a medallion that our family used to help betas learn how to control the shift, a physical object to focus on.' Derek's hand went to my back, pulling me closer to him for a moment before his hand rested there; I tried to ignore my raising heartbeat whilst hoping he didn't hear it._

' _Did it work?' I wondered._

' _No, I learned to control my shift after the fire,' he told me; the sadness in his gaze was reflected in mine as I remembered my fallen best friend, 'Peter taught me to focus on my anger and it worked. I had a lot of anger at my disposal after that happened.'_

' _I can imagine.' I commented, smiling sadly, 'I'm sorry that happened.'_

 _Derek looked over to me, blinking in surprise, 'it wasn't your fault.'_

' _I know I'm just sorry it happened.' I told him, tracing random patterns on his grey t-shirt, I frowned when I saw the guilt in his eyes before he looked away._

' _Derek, tell me you don't blame yourself for that fire.' My tone was firm with determination._

 _He didn't answer and he refused to look at me, I gently forced him to meet my gaze with a hand under his chin. My hand moved to the side of his face to stop him from looking away again. In any other circumstances I would've blushed at the intimacy of the gesture, but the pain and guilt in his eyes was the only thing on my mind._

' _You don't seriously blame yourself for that fire do you?' I murmured, frowning in concern._

' _You don't know everything, Stacey.' He told me, trying to move away but I wouldn't let him._

' _Unless you handed the arsonists the gasoline and matches it wasn't your fault. Deep down you know that. It was the Argent's who decided to light that fire,' my voice was dripping with sincerity and the vulnerable expression on his face made my heart squeeze painfully; he wanted to believe me but he wouldn't let himself._

 _He looked like he was trying to decide if he could tell me something and I just kept staring into his eyes, allowing him to search for whatever he was looking for._

' _When I was seventeen I met someone… she was a little older than me and she came from a family of hunters who lived in the area. Her name was Kate Argent.' His voice had been so low that I had to strain to hear it._

' _You told her about your family?' I asked gently, my thumb subconsciously moving back and forth where it rested on his cheek._

' _Yeah, I did. But looking back she would have already known. She used me to get close to the rest of us and find out where we lived.' He sighed sadly, 'Laura and I were at school when the fire started. When we got home the fire brigade and ambulances were there. I can't remember much of what happened afterwards. I couldn't believe it.'_

' _I still don't think it was your fault.' I shook my head, wiping away the tear that had fallen down my cheek with the action._

' _How-,' he started to disagree but I cut him off by putting the index finger on my free hand to his lips._

' _Kate knew exactly what she was doing. She sought you out and manipulated you into giving her what she wanted. If that hadn't worked, she would've found another way. No one is to blame for that fire except for that sociopathic bitch.' I assured him, meeting his guilt-ridden gaze with determination._

 _I don't know how long we started at each other, refusing to back down, but I had just noticed a glimmer of hope shining in Derek's eyes when the door burst open, interrupting the moment. But I was sure he was starting to realise that I had a point, and that was good enough for now. One day I would make sure that he knew that without a doubt that fire hadn't been his fault in the slightest._

'Wait, where are they going?' Stiles' confusion bought me out of my thoughts and I glanced in the mirror to see the headlights retreating.

Scott leaned forward and turned on the police radio to see if anything was being broadcasted.

' _Suspect running into the ironworks. Recognised as Derek Hale.'_

Scott and I shared a look of confusion before I spun the car around and sped towards the location, wondering how the hell the police ended up chasing him. The lead he had been chasing must have included him doing something illegal. I could hear dogs barking and shots being fired as I pulled in, Scott jumped to the back and I leaned over to fling open the passenger door. I noticed Derek crouching behind some metal structures; avoiding the shots Chris was sending his way. When I drove in, his gaze jumped up to meet mine and I could see the relief shining in his eyes.

'Get in!' I yelled, anxious to get out of there.

Derek sprinted to the open door after chancing a glance at Chris on the roof. He made it in under five seconds and I wasted no time in speeding out of there, pressing down the accelerator before the door was fully shut.

'What the hell happened? Why do you have the cops after you?' Stiles asked, popping forward from the back.

Derek didn't answer and instead glared at the nervous boy until he cowered back in his seat, I shook my head with a smile and sent Derek a questioning look. The blue-eyed wolf smirked a little before irritation took over his expression. Not at me but what had just happened.

'I was tracking the alpha. He led me to the high school where he was questioning a teacher. I nearly had him when the freaking cops showed up,' Derek huffed and I frowned sympathetically.

'Hey they were just doing their jobs,' Stiles chimed in, but he wasn't brave enough to lean forward again apparently.

'Why did they show up?' Scott asked.

'Apparently someone called in a break in at the high school. The alpha was just about to kill Harris and I saved him. When I looked up the alpha was gone and the school was surrounded by cop cars, they saw me leaving and started chasing after me.' Derek rolled his eyes.

'What's Harris got to do with any of this?' I frowned, indicating and turning down the street where Scott and I lived.

Derek hesitated, glancing at the boys in the back.

'Okay, could you just trust us for five seconds, please?' Stiles complained, shrinking back when Derek glared at him, 'or you could just trust the both of them. I'll be back here, shutting up.'

I stifled a laugh as Derek turned in his seat so he could see Scott and I at the same time. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it but didn't show it to us.

'All I know is the last time I spoke to my sister; she was close to finding something. Some guy named Harris and some kind of symbol.' He turned the paper around and Scott and I immediately shared a knowing look, one that didn't escape Derek's notice.

'What? You know what this is?' He asked urgently.

'I've seen it on a necklace.' I murmured, looking over to Scott.

'Allison's necklace,' Scott groaned, clearly not wanting Allison to have anything to do with this, and I couldn't blame him.

'We'll get it.' I assured Derek with a smile, noting the appreciation in his eyes, 'I have a plan.'

'Uh-oh,' Stiles murmured from the back, making me roll my eyes.

I pulled Derek's car into a spot across the street; he was staying with us because the hunters were all over his ass in that moment. It wasn't safe for him on the Hale property and it would be easier to hide him at our house rather than Stiles'—his dad was the Sherriff after all. We all climbed out of the Camaro, Stiles and Scott walked ahead while Derek and I trailed behind.

'If you ever need someone to go on a high speed chase again I would totally do it.' I smirked at him holding out my hand to offer him the keys.

He chuckled and accepted them, tucking them away in his pocket, 'I'll keep you in mind. You drive her well.'

'I'm not sure Scott and Stiles would agree with you,' I said, amused.

'No we wouldn't, you nearly killed us.' Scott complained, turning and walking backwards much like I had in the woods all those days ago.

'Are you dead?' I quirked my brow in a challenge.

'That's not the point.' Scott rolled his eyes.

'Nah her driving was fine, she stopped the hunters from catching up to us.' Stiles commented, slapping Scott's chest.

'Thank you Stiles.' I smiled.

'I'm still gonna have bruises though,' Stiles sent me an amused look, as did Derek.

I simply shrugged, 'that's why you wear a seatbelt.'

'Yeah, yeah.' Stiles waved me off and headed to his Jeep.

'See you at school.' I shouted after him, earning a grunt in response.

After I made sure mom had already left for work, I waved Derek up to my room, giving him the chance to shower and get ready for bed while I took care of a few things down stairs. I had a routine; first I checked the pile of bills hid under the breadbin. I was happy to see that only three were in the first notice stage, with the phone bill being in the second. I opened it and checked the balance- it was only $80 and I wasted no time in calling the twenty-four hour line and paying it off before putting the bill where I had found it. After that I went to the fridge and pulled out the ingredients for a chicken and potato pie, knowing mom would need something to take into work for her dinner and I could reheat it for our dinner tomorrow as well. Having done it a hundred times, it didn't take me long and before I knew it the pie was done and cooling on the cooling rack. I left a note for mom so she knew some was for her and made my way to bed. Derek was already asleep by the time I got there, and after a quick shower and brushing my teeth I was about to join him but I hesitated.

Would he mind? Did it matter? We'd shared a bed last night and it hadn't been the slightest bit awkward. But I didn't want him to think I was presuming-

'Stacey? What's wrong?' Derek's sleepy voice bought me out of my inner ramblings.

'Hm? Oh I was just thinking…' I trailed off, looking anywhere but him.

'About what?' He sounded amused.

'Do you mind me sharing a bed with you? Because I can-,' I was cut off when Derek reached out and grabbed my hand, pulling me into the bed beside him. I ignored the goose bumps on my skin that grew from the warmth I was suddenly surrounded by, and resisted the urge to snuggle into his chest.

'I don't mind, Stacey. This is your bed.' He sounded entertained and I was secretly happy when he pulled me against his chest, winding his arm around my waist.

'You have a point. Maybe I should start charging you rent,' I teased, grinning when I felt him chuckle.

We fell asleep like that and when my alarm went off in the morning I was pretty sure that we hadn't moved a muscle. I managed to untangle myself from his hold—although it took some doing, even in his sleep he had a strong grip. I showered and came out in a towel with dripping wet hair and started shifting through my closet, choosing what to wear. I decided on a black pencil skirt and a white sheer blouse with a white bandeau underneath. I was just about to head back in the bathroom when I heard Derek stirring from my bed. I looked over to him, trying to fight the blush that was threatening to stain my cheeks.

'Hey,' Derek offered, running his hand through his hair.

I tried to ignore what the movement did to his chest, seeing as he was topless; he was only wearing the sweatpants he'd borrowed from Scott. I blushed when I realised I had just been staring at his naked chest—damn him for being so muscular.

'Hey,' I replied eventually, ignoring his smirk.

'I'm gonna take a shower if that's alright?' He asked, standing from the bed.

'Sure, I'm done with the bathroom. I'll get changed in here.' I smiled, placing my clothes on the bed.

When my bathroom door closed I wasted no time in drying off and getting dressed. I was just about to switch on my hairdryer when I heard a knock at my door. After throwing a glance at my closed bathroom door I silently preyed Derek had heard and would remain where he was until my mom was gone.

I walked over to the door, opening it with a bright smile.

'Hey sweetie,' she smiled, she was still wearing her nurse scrubs and she looked exhausted.

'Hey, mom,' I hugged her, resisting the urge to glance at the closed door.

'You look nice,' she commented, leaning on my doorframe.

'Thanks.' I rolled my eyes, knowing that was a typical mom line, but I appreciated it, 'I made you chicken pie to take into work later.'

'I saw and I also got a call from the phone company-,' she started, giving me a firm but gentle look.

'Sorry mom, I need to get ready. I still have to dry my hair and do my make up and-,' I was rambling and trying to close the door but she put her foot out.

'Nice try but you have plenty of time before you have to leave,' mom smirked.

'Mom can we not do this,' I pleaded, running my hand through my wet hair.

'We've been over this, I appreciate your help but you should be spending your money on things that other teenagers want. You should be saving for a car, going to the mall with your friends-,' she stopped when I placed a hand on her arm.

'Mom I don't need any of that- why would I need a car when I can get a ride with Stiles or Scott? As for the mall I hate shopping, you know that. Call it a side effect of your best friends being your brother and another guy,' I shrugged, tensing a little when I heard the shower turn off.

'I worry about you, you shouldn't be thinking about what bills need to be paid and you certainly shouldn't be paying them yourself.' Her brow crinkled with worry.

'Mom, I don't mind helping out. It's my money and I can chose what to do with it. I'm already putting some away into my savings and some into a collage fund.' I shrugged, throwing a casual glance over my shoulder at the closed bathroom door.

'Sweetie,' she started, I winced when I heard a bang coming from the bathroom, 'what was that?'

'What was what? I- didn't hear anything,' I said, trying to sound casual, but I could feel myself turning bright red.

'Now I know you're lying,' she gave me an accusing look that mom's had mastered.

'I-uh- my shampoo probably just fell over in the shower… I should go pick it up! Love you! Bye!' I closed the door and locked it on her surprised face, resting my back against the wood until I heard her move away from the door.

I looked up when I saw the bathroom door creek open and I couldn't help but laugh at the apologetic look on Derek's face. But my amusement faded as I took in his appearance. His hair was damp from the shower and so was the rest of him; I was mesmerised by the water droplets slowly trickling down his muscular chest. I followed their path all the way down to the towel that was tied around his waist. I felt desire start to pool in my belly and my mouth went dry.

My eyes snapped up to Derek's when I heard him clear his throat. When I noticed him smirking I felt myself turning bright red.

'You really need to be wearing a shirt at all times.' I muttered, closing my eyes and leaning my head on the back of my door.

'Sorry,' he said but he didn't sound sorry at all.

I rolled my eyes and pushed away from my door, grabbing my phone from the nightstand to look at the time. Stiles would be here to pick up me and Scott in fifteen minutes. I cursed and pulled my damp hair into a high ponytail, grabbing my backpack and leather jacket from the foot of my bed.

'I'll see you later,' I said, throwing a smile over my shoulder that turned into a grin when I saw Derek checking out my ass.

This time he was the one to blush and clear his throat in embarrassment. He rolled his eyes when he saw my amusement grow.

'See you,' he yelled after me.

'I'll leave you some breakfast downstairs!' I told him, making my way down the hallway to wake up my brother.

After persuading Scott to wake up with the promise of scrambled eggs I ran down stairs to start cooking. I cooked up enough to feed Scott, Derek and I. Scott came downstairs just as I was putting his on a plate with some buttered toast, he accepted the food from me with a grin while I rolled my eyes fondly and placed some on a plate under some tinfoil for Derek. I barely had enough time to wharf my own breakfast down before Stiles started beeping from out front. We made the journey in silence but when we got to school the chatter started ten to the dozen.

'So how are you going to get the necklace?' Stiles asked Scott, slapping his shoulder.

'I don't know. I could just ask her for it?' Scott said, rubbing the back of his neck.

'Or steal it?' Stiles suggested, flapping his arms around frantically.

'You two are idiots. Leave the necklace up to me,' I rolled my eyes, patting Scott and Stiles on their shoulders.

'What are you going to do?' Scott sounded worried.

'Don't worry about it,' I muttered, walking in front of them and ignoring the catcalls I could hear; I assumed Lydia was walking behind me.

I headed towards Allison's locker, a little slower than I usually would; I was trying to come up with a valid excuse as to why I'd need the necklace but I couldn't for the life of me think of one. I sighed and set my shoulders; I was just going to have to wing it. I saw Allison leaning against her locker and I was relieved to see she was alone; I was in no mood for Lydia's bitchiness before first period.

'Hey, Allison,' I smiled, hitching my backpack up higher on my shoulder, 'how are you?'

'Hey Stacey,' she smiled, her dimples showing, 'I'm good thanks. Is your brother with you?'

I had to physically stop myself from rolling my eyes; those two had it bad for each other that was for sure.

'Actually, no. I wanted to ask you a favour. It's huge and I'll totally understand if you don't want to do it-,' I was rambling but I was cut off when she placed a gentle hand on my arm.

'What is it?' she smiled kindly.

'I'm doing a project for history and I thought it would be really cool to do it on your family—I read about the family of Argents somewhere a while ago and I was wondering if you would mind me lending that family amulet I saw you wearing a few days ago?' I asked, hoping I looked innocent.

'Oh- sure,' she grinned, reaching under her shirt and taking it off before placing it in my hand, 'just take care of it, my Aunt Kate passed it down to me and she'll go crazy if it gets lost.'

I had to force my expression not to cloud over with anger at the mention of Kate, and I was proud of myself when I forced a smile that seemed to convince her.

'Thanks, Allie.' I grinned, giving her a hug that surprised us both.

On the way to class I slipped the necklace on, hiding it under my shirt; I didn't have any pockets on me so it seemed like the smarter option. I pulled out my phone and set up a text chain to send a text to Scott, Stiles and Derek.

 _Me: Got the necklace._

 _Stiles: Sweet._

 _Derek: Is there anything in it, on it?_

 _Scott: We have a problem._

 _Me: No there's nothing on it or in it, but you can get a better look after school._

 _Me: What's wrong Scotty?_

 _Scott: Jackson just confronted me. He knows I'm a werewolf._

 _Stiles: What?!_

 _Stiles: Did he say those words?_

 _Scott: What?_

 _Stiles: Did he say I know you're a werewolf?_

 _Scott: No, but he implied it pretty freaking clearly._

 _Me: What does he want?_

 _Scott: He wants to be a werewolf._

 _Derek: As far as he's concerned, you have know idea what he's talking about._

 _Scott: What?_

 _Me: He's saying you need to play dumb Scotty._

 _Scott: He's given me seventy-two hours. After that he's going to tell Allison._

 _Stiles: She won't believe him._

 _Me: Dude she's from a family of werewolf hunters, we have no idea if she already knows._

 _Scott: I'm pretty sure she doesn't. But if she mentions it to her dad or aunt…_

 _Me: You know what? I got this Scotty don't worry. Consider it taken care of :)_

 _Derek: Stacey, stay away from Jackson._

 _Stiles: I never thought I'd say this but Derek's right. Jackson doesn't know about you, that's the only advantage we have._

 _Scott: Stacey, do not get yourself in danger because of me._

I ignored them all, searching to corridor for the arrogant co-captain. I could feel my rage bubbling in my blood and threatening to spill over so I forced myself to calm down before I went looking for him. I found him smirking over a shocked Lydia and that grated on my nerves even more. I caught the tail end of their conversation.

'It wasn't a joke, I would have put a ha-ha at the end, and you see there's a no ha-ha.' Jackson smirked.

'Lydia, please return my house key at your earliest convenience as we are no longer dating.' Lydia read from her phone, glaring at him when she was finished.

'Hey Lydia,' I smiled brightly, I couldn't stand the look on his face and even though the strawberry blonde and I weren't exactly the _best_ of friends, I couldn't stand to watch Jackson looking at her like that. I was going on my instincts here.

Lydia's eyes flickered over to me, and I saw the flicker of pain in her eyes before her mask was back up. Shockingly she smiled at me and linked her arm through mine. I didn't let my surprise show on my face and offered Jackson his very own arrogant smile; I was pleased when his mask fell.

'Hey Stacey.' Lydia finally answered, gripping my arm like a lifeline.

'I see you're talking to just the person I was looking for,' I said, casually looking around.

We were the only three in the corridor and I smirked when I realised.

'So I hear you've been talking to my brother.' I stepped forward threateningly and was pleased when he gulped.

'That's none of your business.' He said, sounding anxious.

'Actually it is,' I smiled, squeezing Lydia's arm in assurance when I heard her heart beat pick up, 'he's my family and I take it personally when someone messes with my family.'

He tried to step back again but ended up stepping into a row of lockers, I tilted my head thoughtfully, pretending to think for a moment.

'Let me make one thing clear to you, Jackson,' my voice was low, I placed my free hand onto his shoulder, 'I don't care what you _think_ you know about my brother, but if I find out you have made any attempts to threaten him again…'

I trailed off, my hand sliding down his arm and gripping it with enough force to make him cry out. When he tried to push me off I twisted his arm behind his back, pinning his face to the lockers.

'I'll break your arm.' I whispered into his ear, releasing my hold on him with one final shove.

I started to lead Lydia in the direction of chemistry, our first class. We were of course going to be late but I couldn't find it in my to care. I checked my phone that I had stashed into my bandeau and saw I had twenty five missed messages and four missed calls. One from Derek, one from Scott and two from Stiles. I sent Derek a quick text but left the others knowing I would see them soon.

 _Me: All's fine. I just threatened to break his arm._

 _Derek: Stacey…_

 _Me: What? It's not like I threatened to kill him!_

 _Derek: Did anyone hear you?_

 _Me: Just Lydia but I don't think he'll say anything._

 _Derek: Let's hope you haven't made it worse._

 _Me: If he doesn't stop… I honestly don't know what I'll do._

 _Derek: We'll figure it out. I have to go, but thank you for breakfast._

 _Me: You're welcome :)_

I stashed my phone where it was and turned to Lydia, her arm was still linked through mine and she looked entirely dazed by what had just happened.

'Jackson's a dick.' I said, figuring she wouldn't want outright sympathy.

'He is.' She agreed, giving me a small genuine smile.

'I always wondered how you put up with that. He's an idiot and you're smart. We're both at the top of all our classes.' I muttered, quirking my brow in question.

'Pretending to be an idiot helps with image I guess,' she admitted sheepishly with a shrug.

'I guess, if that's important to you,' I nodded in understanding; I didn't care what people thought of me but she clearly did.

'Thank you, for stepping in,' she said a little hesitantly, 'and for beating him up a little, even if it wasn't for me it was nice to see.'

We shared a laugh as we stepped into the classroom.

'While I'm sure you're having an interesting conversation I hope you have an excuse for why you're late.' Harris' voice boomed from the front of the classroom.

I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to offer a sarcastic reply when Lydia's words cut me off.

'Sorry, sir we were just in the guidance office. I had an appointment and Miss Mural asked Stacey to take me to my first class because we're in it together.' Lydia said it with such conviction that I almost believed her.

'Is this true, Stacey?' Harris asked.

'Yes sir.' I nodded, walking arm in arm to the desk I shared with Lydia.

'Very well. We're going over chapter eleven, I trust you're both already familiar with it?'

'Yes sir,' we said together, sharing a look of amusement.

I could practically sense everyone's confusion at seeing us actually getting along. We usually ignored each other and made snide remarks until the bell rang, this was definitely an interesting development. I could feel Scott and Stiles' stares boring holes into the side of my head, so when Harris turned back to the board I offered them a reassuring look before telling them to focus on the class. I managed to escape the class without facing an interrogation from my twin and best friend and was surprised when Lydia dragged me around with her all day, including lunch. I was thankful it was just her, me and Allison and not the rest of the popular crowd. Conversation was actually nice, Allison talked about her family history, thinking I was doing the project and I chipped in with the right questions here and there. Lydia asked if we had any plans for the winter formal and I wrinkled my nose in distaste; I'd never been one for dances. I lied and said I'd have to work that night and wouldn't be able to get out of it.

'Stacey!' I turned to see Stiles sprinting down the corridor towards me.

I had to steady him with a hand on his elbow when he reached me, and honestly he looked like he was on the verge of passing out.

'What's up?' I asked, hitching my bag higher on my shoulder.

'Scott's with Allison and then he has practice, you and me are gonna find out where the text came from,' he told me, pulling me along with a hand on my upper arm.

'Text? What text?' I frowned.

'The night the alpha tried to trap us in the high school Allison got a text from an unknown number asking her to meet Scott at the high school. The alpha must have sent it… he must have had something bigger planned.' Stiles explained on gasps of breath.

'Okay.' I shrugged figuring that made perfect sense.

'You don't have work do you?' Stiles asked, reversing out of his space smoothly before making the journey to his house.

'Nah not tonight. Deaton has a hospital check up or something so he's closing at four.' I said as I scrolled through my phone, amused to see I already had a friend request from Lydia on Facebook. I clicked accept and carried on scrolling.

'Did you tell Derek?' I wondered as we pulled into his driveway.

'No,' he scoffed, climbing out of the car; I followed after him with a shake of my head.

'He'll want to know, this is a good lead on the alpha,' I told him as we climbed the stairs to his room.

'Yeah.' He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, 'alright, text him.'

'I already did,' I grinned at his affronted look and sat on the end of his bed and dramatically fell back, wishing I could just go to sleep to wake up when all the drama was over.

'What happened with you and Jackson today anyway?' Stiles asked, spinning around in his desk chair to face me.

'I told him I'd break his arm if he threatened Scott again,' I told him, not even bothering to open my eyes.

'How are you and Lydia best friends all of a sudden?' I smiled when Stiles moved onto the next question, not phased by me threatening Jackson.

'I stood up for her when Jackson was being a dick, apparently she appreciated it.' I shrugged, on the verge of falling asleep.

'Stiles!' The Sherriff shouted, making me jump.

'Yo D-Derek,' Stiles stuttered sounding scared.

I sat up with a confused frown, and when I looked to the right of me I grinned when I saw the blue-eyed wolf stood there. He was wearing his usual attire; black jeans, white t-shirt, black leather jacket and stoic expression. Stiles jumped up from his chair in alarm to meet his dad in the hallway, and I couldn't blame him. It wouldn't end well for anyone if the Sherriff found the guy he was chasing last night in his son's bedroom.

'You look very serious,' I commented with a grin; I was so used to seeing him relaxed when we were alone, so seeing his usual front amused me.

'Do I?' he quirked his brow, his eyes glittering with amusement.

'Yep,' I nodded, fighting the urge to laugh.

He rolled his eyes but came to sit beside me on the bed. I noticed there was blood on his shirt and reached my hand out without thinking, my eyes meeting his in silent question.

'It's from last night. I got clipped in the shoulder by the hunters.' He shrugged, his eyes softening at my concern.

'You could have taken one of Scott's shirts.' I offered, knowing my twin wouldn't have minded.

'I was going to, but your mom came to your room when you left this morning, so I didn't get a chance. I had to leave through the window,' he smirked.

'Well that's what you get for being loud,' I laughed aloud; Derek smiled a genuine smile that made my heart skip a beat.

'Stacey is that you?' Sherriff asked.

'Yes Sherriff, how are you?' I yelled back, knowing he wouldn't come in.

'Good, and yourself?'

'Great thank you!' It was my usual response.

When the Sherriff was gone, Stiles came back into his room, only to be slammed to the wall by Derek. I watched the scene in amusement, knowing that Derek wasn't going to hurt my best friend.

'If you say anything-,' Derek started to threaten but Stiles cut him off.

'Like what? Dad, Derek Hale is hiding in my room, bring your gun?' The brown-eyed boy said sarcastically.

Derek eyed him with a glimmer of respect in his eyes, releasing his grip on Stiles.

'That's right, I'm hiding your ass it's my house, my rules buddy,' Stiles said, getting cocky.

Derek nodded and fixed the boys shirt, Stiles did the same for him but nearly fell over when the wolf made a move to attack him. I had to stifle a laugh; those two were just too amusing when they were together.

'So what's the deal with this text?' I asked, amusement still present in my voice.

'If we can track it we can find out who sent it.' Stiles shrugged, sitting back down at his desk.

'What text?' Derek frowned, sitting next to me on the bed.

'The night at the high school, Allison got a text from Scott,' I started, looking over to the wolf.

'So?' Derek quirked a brow.

'So it wasn't really Scott,' Stiles rolled his eyes.

'Can you find out who sent it?' Derek asked, catching on to what Stiles was thinking.

'No, but I know someone who can.' He smirked making me shake my head fondly.

I was lying on the bed, my foot against the mattress and my ankles crossed in the air, scrolling through my phone and trying to smother laughter at Stiles' failed attempts to convince Danny to help us. They eventually moved on to Chemistry and I rolled over onto my back suddenly only to catch Derek staring at my ass again. I sent him a grin, ignoring the blush that formed on my cheeks as I sat up and reached for the necklace he had wanted to see.

'Here.' I murmured, too quietly for Stiles and Danny to hear.

I took his hand, ignoring the spark that travelled up my arm at his touch, and placed the necklace in his palm. His stare was intense as his eyes stared into mine for a moment before he released me and studied the jewellery in his palm.

'Who is that?' Danny asked not very subtly as he eyed Derek, who was sat on the armchair studying the necklace I had handed to him, ignoring the teenager he could definitely hear.

'Oh, that's my cousin… Miguel.' Stiles said.

I looked up at Derek's expression to see him glaring at the brown-eyed boy. I stifled a laugh in the palm of my hand and continued scrolling through my phone.

'Is that blood on his shirt?' Danny sounded suspicious.

'Yeah, he gets these horrible nose bleeds.' Stiles explained, giving the wolf a look, 'hey Miguel? I thought I said you could borrow one of my shirts?'

Derek stood up, clearly pissed off with Stiles' name choice, and started rifling through his draws. It was a few moments before Derek noticed a problem and turned to glare at Stiles holding up one of the shirts.

'Stiles? These no fit,' he ground out through a clenched jaw.

'Just try one,' Stiles rolled his eyes, not bothering to look up from his chemistry work.

When Derek complied and stripped off his bloody white shirt, I couldn't help but stare at his chest appreciatively. He gave me a knowing look before he turned around to find a shirt. The tattoo on his back was beautiful and seemed to enhance the ripples around his shoulders. I blinked out of my trance when Derek pulled on blue and orange striped shirt, I wrinkled my nose in distaste; it really didn't suit him and I couldn't imagine Stiles ever wearing something like that either.

'What do you think of that, it's nice. Right Danny?' Stiles said and I looked over just in time to see him slapping Danny's shoulder.

'Uh- it's not really his colour.' Danny commented, guiltily looking away from Derek.

'I don't think that's anyone's colour,' I grimaced and looked over to Stiles, 'why do you own that? I've never seen you wear it.'

'I wear it,' Stiles half-heartedly defended before turning away and talking quietly to Danny.

I didn't hear how, because I was too preoccupied with the half naked wolf, but Stiles managed to convince Danny to trace the text. At that point I got a text from Scott asking me about the necklace. Derek had handed it back to me a few minutes after I'd given it to him; it didn't have any clues or anything on it. I told my twin that and he asked if I'd swing by and drop it off- apparently Allison had mentioned she'd loaned it to me and her aunt was furious. If only she knew her aunt was a sociopathic bitch, I'm sure she wouldn't care about her being irritated then. I reluctantly agreed and left after reminding Stiles about the lacrosse game and telling them to keep me updated with whatever they found.

I gave the necklace back to Allison before her aunt and father got there; I knew I wouldn't be able to keep my anger under control to her face. Allison thanked me and apologised that her aunt was so crazy. If only she knew how much. I decided to hang around for the game, seeing as Stiles and Derek hadn't texted with any news, and I joined my twin on the player's bench, nudging his shoulder gently with mine.

'What's up Scotty?' I murmured when I noticed his nerves.

'Stiles should be here by now,' he said, looking around as if his friend would magically appear.

'They were trying to find out where the text came from. Maybe they found a lead.' I shrugged, nervous too.

I hoped they hadn't been stupid enough to check it out on their own. I worried about Stiles anyway; he was the only human in the middle of this mess, but after the way that Derek had been attacked by the alpha, my concern for him had tripled when I realised how easy it would actually be for him to get hurt.

'Call them? I left my phone in my locker,' he gave me a sheepish look that made me smile before I pulled my phone out of my bandeau.

I called Stiles and he picked up on the third ring, before I could say anything Scott snatched the phone out of my hand.

'Stiles? Where are you? You do remember you're first line right?' Scott fired question after question, not giving Stiles a chance to respond.

'I know, I'll be there. If you see my dad just tell him I'll be a little late, okay?' Stiles said, I frowned at his defeated tone. He was lying.

Scott and I shared a worried look before my twin responded, 'okay. Be careful.'

Stiles hung up the phone and I stashed mine back in my bra while we waited for the game to start. Things were about to get really tense. I could feel it.

The game progressed pretty normally, though Stiles never showed up. Which was something that was making the ball of worry in my gut grow more and more. What had happened? What if they'd found the alpha? What if they were dead? No, they couldn't be dead, right?

While Scott hit the showers, I sat on the benches in the locker room, tapping my fingers against my thigh with a frown on my face. I was just about to get my phone out and call Stiles when I felt two other people join me in the room. One of them was Scott and the other was Derek. I was about to hug him in sheer relief when I noticed how… off he looked. My twin didn't appear to notice though and started chattering right away.

'Where the hell have you been? Do you have any idea what has been happening?' Scott demanded, wafting his arms around.

Derek didn't answer, he simply stared at my twin while I stared at him. Something was definitely wrong.

'What's going on?' I asked, my voice unsure as I stood from the bench and moved next to Scott. My instincts were telling me we needed to be ready to defend ourselves.

Derek's gaze didn't move from Scott's and the fact he was afraid to look at me made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Scott moved closer to me, obviously sensing something was wrong.

Nothing could have prepared me for what happened next. Literally nothing. Peter Hale walked in behind Derek, a lacrosse stick in his hands.

'I really don't get lacrosse,' Peter mused, staring at the equipment in his hands.

'Son of a-,' I was interrupted by Scott painfully elbowing me in the ribs.

'It was you,' Scott realised, his hand moving to my arm as if he could sense my anger.

'When I was in high school we played basket ball,' Peter looked over to Scott and I, 'there's a real sport.'

'That's beautiful,' I said sarcastically, refusing to be afraid of him, 'now how about you cut to the chase because I'm pretty sure you didn't come here to complain about how sport has changed since you were in high school.'

'Ah, Stacey,' Peter smirked, he stepped closer and I saw Derek take a subtle step forward as well, though the alpha didn't seem to notice.

'Now you have the most potential,' he reached his hand out as if he were going to stroke my cheek and I slapped it away.

I felt Scott and Derek tense but Peter just laughed. It was a sadistic sound that sent shivers of apprehension down my spine.

'Still as creepy as ever I see,' I commented, crossing my arms over my chest.

'That anger and your brain will definitely come in useful.' Peter mused.

'Useful for what? You see I have no desire to go out on a killing spree.' I told him, meaning every word.

'Don't worry, as soon as you kill one it becomes easier.' He carelessly shrugged.

'We aren't killing anyone,' I said, including my twin in my statement.

'We're not like you,' Scott agreed, presenting a united front against the alpha.

'But you are.' Peter grinned, he started to circle us and I turned my attention to Derek.

'You gonna say anything? Or have you gone mute?' I quirked my brow, pissed off that he seemed to be on his uncle's side.

'You're on his side now? What happened to wanting the alpha dead? You know because he killed your sister?' Scott asked, I was sure we were both sending Derek expressions of disbelief in that moment.

'It was an accident,' Derek said, his voice was monotone, 'it happens.'

'Who are you trying to convince there Derek?' I asked, pissed off, 'because you don't sound so sure of that yourself.'

'You know I read somewhere that lacrosse comes from Native American tribes and they played it to resolve conflict,' he had come full circle and he took his original position in front of Scott and I again. He placed the lacrosse stick he was still holding on his shoulder for a moment as he thought, 'do I have that right?'

'Yes,' I rolled my eyes.

Peter smiled at me and took the lacrosse stick from his shoulder. He examined it with little interest before placing it to the side.

'I have a little conflict of my own I'd like you two to help me resolve.'

Scott and I shared a look before we looked back over to the alpha.

'No,' we said together.

'We're not helping you kill people.' Scott added and I nodded in agreement.

Peter seemed to find our mutual agreement both amusing and irritating—I didn't know which was worse.

'Well, I don't want to kill all of them,' he said slowly, like he was speaking to a child.

'I don't care.' I shook my head, 'you've killed plenty on your own. You don't need our help.'

'That's true, but with both of you helping me, we'd be unstoppable. And those that are responsible will be the only ones that have to die.' He gave us an assuring look that made a shiver of dread run down my spine, ' that doesn't have to include…'

He trailed off, looking over to the blue-eyed wolf who had made his way behind us at some point.

'Allison,' Derek said.

I felt Scott tense and I placed a comforting hand on his arm. I felt myself tense as well; I barely knew the girl but that didn't mean that I wanted her dead.

'You think you can take on the Argents and not die?' I scoffed, trying to stall him while I thought over what was happening.

Peter's eyes hardened to a cold steel blue, 'if I have you two absolutely.' He stepped forward.

'And the only way you can get us is by blackmailing us.' I smirked, taking a step back from the alpha and bringing my brother with me, 'that's pathetic.'

Peter smirked but he was anything but amused by my remark.

'You'll be glad I did when you feel the power that comes with being in a pack.' Peter said, 'I would think you would want the Argent's dead after what they did.'

'Don't you _dare_ ,' I spat, I could feel the blood pumping in my veins and that was never a good sign.

'If you truly cared about Cora, then you would want to avenge her.' Peter goaded me.

'You're going to stand there and manipulate me with Cora?' I scoffed, I went to step forward but Scott caught me around the waist and held me back, 'this isn't the right way to do it, Peter. Fighting fire with fire complete idiocy.'

'Maybe so, but I believe if you two see it from my perspective,' he stepped forward and placed his claws at the back of both of our necks, 'you'll have a change of heart.'

With that, his claws pierced our flesh and we fell to the floor. A sound of pain escaped my mouth and I felt my eyes flashing as I writhed on the damp shower floor. Images were flashing through my eyes. Screaming. People desperately trying to escape. Arsonists dousing the house in petrol and lighting it with a match. Peter panicking. Him lying in the hospital comatose. Him killing Laura. Just before I blacked out I could have sworn I saw Derek hovering over me, a worried expression on his face, but I didn't know for sure because when I woke up he was gone.

'Stace? Are you okay?' Scott asked, helping me from the floor.

'Yeah.' I said, rubbing the back of my neck, wincing when I found the marks hadn't yet healed.

'Did that really just happen?' Scott glanced around, looking for evidence that Peter and Derek had even been here.

'I think so.' I sighed, sitting down on the bench.

We both looked up when Stiles came barrelling in, looking absolutely terrified.

'Dude you have no idea what just happened,' he breathed, looking hot and sweaty.

Scott and I shared a look.

'Actually I think we do,' Scott said.

What were we going to do?

 **Hi guys! I Hope you like this chapter! I'm not done at uni yet, but I was just itching to do a update and I hope you liked it! As usual leave me a review and tell me what you think :)**


	9. Co-Captain

Chapter Nine

I didn't know how long Scott, Stiles and I sat in the boy's locker room, in shock now that the identity of the alpha was revealed. But honestly I wasn't even processing that yet—it was Derek's betrayal that stung the most. I wanted to be pissed off with him, to be so overcome with rage that I could go and kick is ass. But all I felt was… numb. I trusted him and he broke that trust when he sided with Peter, the alpha who he had been so determined to kill not twenty-four hours ago.

'We should head home.' Stiles broke the silence, snapping me out of my thoughts, 'Stace are you okay?'

I frowned in confusion, and went to nod in answer to his question—that was when I felt the moisture on my cheeks and stood abruptly, heading for the door.

'I'm fine. I'll see you at home Scotty.' I threw over my shoulder, sprinting as soon as I was out of the building.

I was being pathetic, wasn't I? It wasn't like he had promised me anything and he had never outright said he wasn't going to stab us in the back and join the alpha's team. Okay, so maybe I did have a reason to be _mad_ but I knew that the reason that wasn't the initial emotion was because I had started to form a friendship with him. In such a short space of time he had wormed himself into my _small_ inner circle of friends, of people I cared about. So the anger wasn't going to come until the pain of betrayal had worn off.

When I finally got home, I was caked in sweat, my hair was sticking to various parts of my face and my clothes were glued to my body. Con—it was gross. Pro—you couldn't identify the tears among the sweat. Bonus.

'Stacey?'

My mothers voice broke me out of my mission to storm upstairs, I'd managed to get to the staircase and I paused half way up.

'Hey mom,' I forced a bright smile on my face and turned to face her. She was wearing light pink scrubs and holding a flask in her hand with her car keys in the other.

'Hey, did you run back from the school?' She frowned, clearly concerned.

'Yeah. Track try outs are coming up and I need to up my cardio.' I shrugged, waving my hand dismissively, 'have you got some pie for you dinner?'

'I have,' she glanced over at the container waiting for her on the table by the door, before her eyes returned to me—I almost winced at the concern I saw in them.

'Are you okay, sweetie?' Her voice was soft and it nearly tore down the feeble barrier I had put up.

I swallowed, forced a smile and came down the stairs to kiss her cheek, 'I'm great, mom. Have a good shift, I'll make sure you have some breakfast for when you get back, and I'll get the laundry started.'

She sighed, clearly not distracted like I was hoping she would be, but she glanced at her watch and stiffened, 'you don't want to talk about it right now, and that's fine. I have to go to work but I have my cell if you need _anything_ alright sweetie?'

She caressed the side of my face and hugged me before grabbing her things and walking out the door. I took a deep breath when I heard her car drive away and made my way to the laundry room, once the load was started I went to the kitchen and heated up the rest of the pie for Scott—he would be home soon and I wasn't really hungry. I headed upstairs and showered, throwing my dirty clothes into the hamper and dressing in my comfort clothes—one of Scott's old shirts and some shorts that used to be my mom's in collage. I gathered up my dirty clothes and collected the rest from Mom's room as well as Scott's and headed down stairs to add them to a new load and put the other clothes into the dryer. I was just pulling the now heated pie out of the oven and when I heard the door open.

'Dinners on the table.' I yelled out, avoiding my brother and heading to the laundry room. I removed a load from the dryer and added the one that was in the washer.

I heard his footsteps hesitate in the hallway before he headed to the kitchen. I hid in the laundry room while he ate his dinner, anxiously waiting for the dryer to finish. He headed up to his room ten minutes before the second load finished. I had it all folded and put away in everyone's rooms within half an hour, grateful Scott appeared to be asleep. I set my alarm, closed my bedroom door, climbed under the covers and finally allowed myself to acknowledge the betrayal I had been pushing down until that point. I hugged a spare pillow to my chest and sobbed, drenching the cotton within minutes but I couldn't find it in myself to care. When I caught a whiff of Derek's scent that still lingered on the covers I cried so hard my chest hurt. I sniffled and held my breath when I heard my bedroom door opening. I caught the scent of my brother and I couldn't find the strength to pull up the façade I had been wearing all night, instead I shoved my face into the pillow I was hugging and continued to cry.

I felt Scott's body heat as he spooned me from behind and I rolled over, laying my head on his chest. He didn't say anything but he hugged me tighter as the tears continued to fall. I don't remember falling asleep, but I remembered feeling grateful for my brother's presence in that moment.

 _The Next Day_

'Since when do the Argents think Jackson is one of the beta's?' I asked, confused.

'They saw the scratch Derek gave him at the lacrosse game.' Scott replied, sounding more and more antsy from the front seat.

'Well at least they only have one suspect,' I muttered, a little released, at least until I saw Scott's guilty expression.

'Actually… Allison's Dad asked Allison who you were and apparently he's seen you with Derek? Well you and Stiles, so you're also suspects.' Scott winced prematurely as if he was preparing himself for our reactions.

'WHAT?' I yelled, my face crumpling in panic.

'WHY ME?' Stiles said at the same time.

'When you stood in on that confrontation at the gas station, remember?' Scott reminded us, rubbing his ear.

'This is fantastic.' I muttered sarcastically, head-butting the window none too gently.

'Not the jeep.' Stiles mildly scolded me.

'Left here.' Scott said suddenly, the jeep's tyres squealed against the tarmac as he abided the instruction.

We pulled up into an empty car park, well empty aside from Jackson's Porsche and Argents car. Chris was leaning over the engine with Jackson, discretely getting a closer look at his neck. Stiles drove over to them and slammed the brakes with enough force that we all had to brace ourselves.

'Yo,' Scott lifted his index finger in a wave, shifting his head a little out of the open passenger window.

'Sup!' Stiles yelled a little louder.

'Asshole.' I smiled brightly, avoiding the elbow my twin sent toward my abdomen.

'Everything okay?' Scott asked.

'Hey, Scott, Stiles and Stacey, isn't it?' Chris smiled in a way that sent a shiver of apprehension down my spine.

'I prefer your highness from my subjects, actually.' I said dryly, grinning when Stiles squawked in shock.

Chris' eyes hardened at my remark but I simply rolled my eyes.

'That was a joke,' I said looking over to Jackson who looked both worried and amused, 'what's up with the car anyway, asshat?'

Jackson smirked, not phased by me calling him names, 'no idea. I was just going to call a tow truck.'

'There's a shop right down the street, I'm sure they have a tow truck.' Scott offered with forced nonchalance.

'Yeah, we can give you a ride, hop on in,' Stiles added, reaching over my twin to fling open the passenger side door.

He climbed out and pulled the seat forward for Jackson.

'Come on, Jackson you're way to pretty to be out here all by yourself,' I smirked, but my eyes held warning which he read, causing him to start walking towards the car.

'Wait a second, guys.'

We all look over to see Chris starting Jackson's engine with no problem. I leaned back so he wouldn't see me roll my eyes—if it wasn't already obvious he was the reason for Jackson's sudden car failure, it was now.

'Told you I knew a few things about cars,' he smirked, giving Stiles and I a suspicious look before he left. I climbed out through the still open door and gave Jackson a once over.

'You alright?' I asked him, just to be sure.

'Aw, am I finally growing on you Stacey?' he smirked, making me roll my eyes.

'No, dumbass. Did that not seem remotely suspicious to you?' I gestured to his car before I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned on the Jeep.

'What do you mean?' he really was clueless.

'She means, Argent thinks your one of the beta's, idiot.' Stiles muttered, joining us on the outside of Roscoe.

'What?' Jackson squeaked.

'Being a werewolf isn't sounding so fun anymore, huh?' I smirked, laughing when he glared at me.

'You almost gave away everything right there!' Scott yelled, seeming to be vibrating with anger. Stiles and I shared a look and I stepped forward, getting ready to intervene if I needed to.

'No I didn't!' Jackson yelled back, not even a little intimidated.

'Yes you did! I could hear your heart beating from a mile away, _literally_!' he went to hit Jackson but at the last minute turned and hit the Jeep instead.

'Dude, my Jeep!' Stiles complained.

'He thinks that there's something wrong with you,' Scott continued as if he hadn't spoken, 'and now I have to keep an eye on you so that he doesn't kill you too!'

He moved to hit the Jeep again, but Stiles pulled him away, 'how about we just stay away from Stiles' Jeep?'

'Scotty you need to calm down.' I spoke up drawing my twin's attention, 'Jackson's a dumbass, sure but as long as he isn't a werewolf he's safe.'

'No he thinks—,' Scott started to protest but I interrupted him.

'Exactly—he _thinks_ he doesn't know, if all he needed was a hunch then we would all be dead by now. He wants absolute proof, which he won't get from Jackson because despite his insatiable desire, he isn't a werewolf.' I spoke calmly in order to diffuse the situation, and I was happy when the anger and worry seemed to disappear from Scott's gaze.

'She's right.' Stiles assured him, slapping his shoulder affectionately.

'Now that we have that straightened out, I'm going to get out of here.' Jackson said with as much arrogance he could muster, but I caught his arm before he completely turned away.

'Seriously though, Jackson, stay away from anything involving the alpha. You have no idea how lucky you are to be separate from all this shit.' I said, being as sincere with him as I had ever been.

He looked like he was going to argue, but he must have seen how honest I was actually being and instead he snapped his mouth shut, nodded solemnly and left. A deep sigh left me as I watched Jackson drive away before I looked over to my two best friends.

'Now what?' Stiles asked, throwing his arm around my shoulder.

'I'm going to go and meet Allison—Peter threatened her yesterday so I'm not letting her out of my sight.' Scott said, his voice determined.

'Cool. You wanna go to the mall?' Stiles asked me, squeezing me closer to his side.

'Sure. I'll help you pick out a tux for the formal.' I smiled at him before teasing him, 'we both know how terrible your dress sense can be.'

'I have never been more offended than I am right now.' He gasped in outrage, holding his free hand to his heart.

My head tipped back in laughter, 'I'll take that as a challenge.' I told him, moving from under his arm to climb into the backseat, ignoring my twin who was shaking his head at us.

'Noooooo!' He said, very over the top, making me laugh again.

I noticed my twin's eyes going soft as he saw me smiling and I shoved his shoulder to reassure him that I was fine. Well as fine as I could be; ever since last night he had been watching me like a hawk, scared that I was going to break down again. I hadn't said anything because he wasn't smothering me, and if watching me made him feel better I wasn't going to complain about it, because if it was the other way around I would have been a lot worse.

'Well this is my first Saturday not volunteering at the hospital in forever so prepare yourself for a long day, Mechi,' I sent him a wink when he glared at me for using my nickname for him—it was an abbreviation of his full name.

We dropped Scott off at the entrance to the preserve—apparently Allison was practicing her archery with Lydia. As soon as he left I jumped in the front seat and took over the music—one of the many reasons Stiles and I got along so well was our similar taste in music. We both liked a variety of genres and so we were able to jam out to Eminem, Florence and the Machine, Selena Gomez, Shawn Mendez and even some songs from High School Musical that Stiles would straight up deny knowing the words to, without any judgement from Scott.

'What about us?' I sang, dramatically placing my hand on Stiles' arm.

He waved me off, 'what about trust?' He sang back.

'You know I never wanted to hurt you,' I held a hand to my heart.

'And what about me?' He wiped away a tear that wasn't there.

'What am I supposed to do?'

'I gotta leave but I'll miss you,' we sang together, finishing off with the chorus before we climbed out of the Jeep. I managed to get some sick snap chat videos that I'd sent to Scott and saved to my phone.

'No one else better see those, Stace,' Stiles warned me, throwing his arm over my shoulders as we entered the mall—a common habit of his.

'No one ever will… unless I need to blackmail you for something,' I smirked evilly, laughing when he dramatically shoved me away.

'So where to first?' Stiles asked, glancing around the place as if he were a little overwhelmed.

'Hmmm… lets get your tux first and then we can catch a movie… or hit the arcades.' I linked my arm through his and dragged him towards the tux store without waiting for his okay.

'Sure I love that plan,' he said, sarcasm apparent in his voice.

'Don't pout, Mechi,' I said, flicking my hair over my shoulder and out of my face, 'you know I hate clothes shopping so it's better if we get this out of the way first.'

'Yeah, yeah,' he huffed, following me around and looking at a few options, soon we had a decent amount and I sent him to start trying them on while I scrolled through my phone.

'This one?' It was completely black down to the bowtie, shirt and everything.

'I like it, dark and mysterious, but I think it makes you look a little pale.' I told him honestly.

He huffed but went to change into another without a word—he trusted my opinion just like I trusted his. I had prevented many fashion disasters over the years. I wasn't a fashionesta in Lydia terms, but I wasn't afraid to give my opinion when I didn't like something.

'I like this,' he told me just before he stepped out of the changing room and when I saw it, I had to agree.

This one was navy blue with a white shirt and black tie. It didn't make him look pale and it was already pretty nicely fitted to his form.

'That's the one.' I said, completely sure, 'do you wanna try on the others to be sure?'

'Nah, I like it, you like it that's good enough for me,' he said, ducking back in to change back into his normal clothes.

I laughed at his eagerness; he hated shopping just as much as I did so I wasn't surprised by his determination to get out of here so fast. Once he was done, he placed the rejected ones back on the racks and paid to rent the tux on the night of the formal, which was this Friday.

'Next?' I gestured towards the movies and he nodded eagerly.

We went to look what was showing and saw that the new Deadpool would be showing this afternoon, but it wasn't going to be until two so we decided to get some lunch first. We had just sat down at McDonald's when Scott texted me.

 _Scotty: Hey are you and Stiles still at the mall?_

 _Me: At the mall we are._

 _Scott: Is it cool if me and Allison come and hang with you? Her dad is smothering her and mom just got back to ours so I don't wanna take her there._

'You cool being third and fourth wheels?' I asked Mechi after I washed down a bite of my burger with water.

'Sure, but we're not sitting at the back. They're not ruining this movie for me by making out the whole time.' He said firmly and I nodded in agreement; we had been looking forward to seeing this for a while.

'We can always split them up?' I smirked deviously.

'I like the way you think,' Stiles ruffled my hair, making me wrinkle my nose before I shot off a quick text.

 _Me: Sure, we're going to see the new Deadpool movie. It starts at 2. I'll get you tickets—DON'T BE LATE._

 _Scotty: thanks Stace._

 _Me: xx_

'Done, no going back now,' I joked, dipping my remaining fry into Stiles' ketchup before putting it into my mouth.

'They'll probably be late,' he rolled his eyes.

'I told him not to be, but we have twenty minutes of adverts before the movie starts,' I shrugged, slurping down my water, sucking harder when I saw Stiles' annoyed face.

'Dude, it's empty!' He complained, tossing his rubbish on the food tray and taking a sip of his own drink.

I stuck my tongue out at him as we both stood. I grabbed our tray of trash and emptied it in the bin and caught up with Stiles who was already at the door.

'I'm excited for this movie. I hope it's as funny as the first one,' I mused as we walked back to the theatre.

'Me too. Ryan Reynolds might just be my new favourite funny actor.' Stiles commented, his arm coming to rest on top of my shoulders.

'Maybe?' I gasped, my hand going to my heart, 'he is the king of funny actors!'

'What about Kevin Hart?' he protested with a raised brow and a smug smile knowing he had me.

'Ugh fine, I concede that you have a point,' I didn't pout but it was a close thing.

We walked in silence for the remainder of the short journey and imidately went to concessions to see what snacks we were going to have for the movie. I was just thinking of asking Stiles if he wanted to split a large popcorn when his gentle voice snapped me out of my thinking.

'Stace,' his gentle tone was reserved for when he was worried about what he was about to say, when he didn't know how I was going to react, 'Scott told me about last night.'

I stiffened and he had to of felt it; his arm was still around me. I felt my defensive hackles rising, but I forced them down—this was _Stiles_ one of my best friends. I could tell him anything, and while he might not approve of my feelings he would listen.

'Yeah… I was—I _am_ upset about what Derek did to us.' I shrugged, accidentally throwing his arm off me, but I just linked my arm through his instead.

'I get it,' he assured me, 'he was supposed to be on our side and he betrayed us.'

'Exactly!' I was relieved Stiles could see where I was coming from, 'I was starting to trust him and he shattered that the moment he stood by Peter.'

'Maybe he had a reason,' Stiles said, shrugging when I looked at him as if he were crazy, 'look I trust the guy about as far as I can throw him, but I saw the way he looked at you when you weren't looking. He cares about you, Stace and I don't think he would have gone to Peter's side without a good reason.'

That stumped me for a second, for two reasons: I never even considered that and I'd never expected Stiles to be fighting in Derek's corner.

'Why are you defending him?' I asked, frowning as I processed all of this new information.

'Because you're one of my best friends,' he ran his free hand over his buzz cut, 'and I don't want you hurting if there's a reason you shouldn't be.'

'Thanks Mechi,' I hugged him, feeling incredibly grateful for the people around me in that moment.

I kept my arm in his when we parted.

'So, what do you want?' he asked, gesturing to the concessions.

'I'm that hungry after lunch, so you wanna split a large popcorn?' I asked, smiling when he shook his head in amusement.

'Sure, I'll grab that while you get the tickets for Allison and Scott.' He pulled out his wallet, waving off my offer of money as I had paid for lunch, and I went to get the extra tickets.

Allison and Scott arrived at 1:58 and honestly I was pretty impressed. It must have been Allison's influence because Scott had never been early or on time to meet us in his life. I greeted Allison with a bright smile and Scott with a hand ruffling his hair before I handed them their tickets and took the sodas off Stiles when he joined us.

'You guys want anything?' I asked, catching the popcorn Stiles threw into my mouth, 'we have time before the movie starts.

'I'm not really hungry,' Allison smiled, holding my twins hand.

'Me neither,' Scott lied; I could hear his stomach rumbling but knowing him he didn't have his wallet.

'Grab my cash out of my pocket will ya?' I asked Scott, seeing as I was holding two large sodas and didn't have any free hands. He did as I asked and frowned in confusion.

'Can you go and get another large popcorn and a few sodas? I'm starving and parched,' I added when Scott eyed the food we had already bought.

'Sure,' he said with a disbelieving smile, leaving Allison to stand with us.

The poor girl looked a little scared but I bumped my arm against hers and offered her a bright smile.

'So, you and my brother, huh? How's that going?' I asked, laughing when her face coloured in embarrassment, 'I'm just messing with you.'

Allison laughed and I joined in with her, wanting her to know I genuinely was kidding.

'So, how are you liking Beacon Hills? The obsession with Lacrosse bored you to tears yet?' I wondered, cheering when I caught some more popcorn in my mouth.

'It's okay. I'm still finding my bearings I guess.' She shrugged and I swear she was seconds away from twirling her hair nervously.

'Cool. Have you seen the first dead pool movie?' Stiles asked, clearly noticing her anxiety as well.

'Yeah I loved it, it's so funny,' she grinned and I knew then and there we were going to be good friends.

By the time Scott joined us we were well into a debate over the best High School Musical movie—Allison loved the first one, Stiles loved the third while I was convinced the second was the best, hands down.

'But Troy doesn't screw up in the third one!' Stiles pointed out, 'he totally breaks her heart in the second _and_ flakes out on his friends!'

'Yes, but they work it out, Stiles! And how is Gabriella breaking Troy's heart in the third any better when she tries to cancel on him for prom?' I was seconds away from throwing my soda at him.

'You guys are crazy,' Allison started to argue and I saw Scott's eyebrows shoot up in surprise at how comfortable she had gotten in the five minutes he'd been gone, 'the first one is the best! They stand up for each other, break stereotypes and become a power couple in one movie!'

'Uhh… guys,' Scott interrupted us and jumped a little when we looked over to him simultaneously, 'the movie's started, and we should go in.'

'Oh right. We'll finish this another time.' I declared to Stiles and Allison before heading into the movie.

'Stace,' Scott caught up with me; he must have given Allison the sodas because he was only holding popcorn, 'what about your stuff?'

'They're for you and Allison,' I told him, giving him a sheepish smile, 'I know you lied about being hungry and what girl doesn't want popcorn in a movie?'

'You didn't have to, but thanks, Stace.' He kissed my cheek and I offered him a bright smile before he fell back in step with Allison.

We managed to snag some good seats in the middle and not at the back, much to Mechi's relief, and mine. The movie was great and a comedic masterpiece. Time went by pretty quickly as we laughed at Ryan Reynolds as Dead pool and before I knew it we were heading out to the parking lot to go home.

'This was fun, we should do it again some time,' Allison smiled, seeming genuinely happy.

'Allison,' I gasped a hand dramatically going to my chest, 'was this our first date?'

She laughed and linked her arm through mine, 'of course it was, didn't you know? For the next one I'm thinking a romantic dinner underneath the stars.'

'A girl after my own heart,' I sighed sadly, sniggering with Allison when the boys looked at us as if we'd each grown an extra head.

'Anyway, I'll see you guys later?' She asked, hugging me and getting a clap on the shoulder from Stiles.

'Sure,' I smiled, heading back to the Jeep and letting them have their moment, 'so, what tunes should we have on the way home?'

'I vote for whatever will annoy Scott the most,' Stiles said, starting Roscoe's ignition.

'So High School Musical then?' I grinned, knowing how much he hated it.

'Like you even have to ask,' he scoffed, grinning at his friend when he joined us in the Jeep.

 _Thirty Minutes Later_

'You and Stiles knowing all the words to every song in those movies is _not_ natural!' Scott huffed, clearly annoyed as we walked into the house.

I threw my head back and laughed, 'Scotty we both know you're the biggest HSM fan, you don't have to lie to me. We will accept you as one of our own.'

I stepped forward as he stepped back, towards the stairs.

'Please stop,' he begged.

'Living in my own world, didn't understand, that anything can happen, when you take a chance,' I sang into my fist, which was my makeshift microphone.

'No!' Scott covered his ears and headed for the stairs but I just sang after his retreating form, snap chatting it for Stiles.

'Never believed in what I couldn't see (oh), I never opened my heart (oh) to all the possibilities, ooh.' I stopped filming when I heard his door slam and laughed all the way to the kitchen.

Stiles replied with an offended look on his face, which I took a screenshot of before replying with a picture of the floor saying _he will never understand our brilliance_. I put my phone in my jeans pocket and started to make some dinner—mom shouldn't be working tonight, but she was still upstairs so I assumed she had overslept and had forgotten to make dinner. I decided on turkey tetrazzini and I had the ingredients out and had just put the almost finished product into the oven when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I wiped my hands on a towel and answered it without looking at the caller ID.

'Hello?'

'Stacey,' he said and then carried on more urgently, 'don't hang up.'

'Give me one good reason why I shouldn't.' I demanded, barely biting back a growl.

'Peter wants me to go after Jackson. He found out he wanted to be a werewolf somehow and he wants him taken care of.' Derek told me, sounding extremely weary and tired.

'And you're telling me this why?' I said carefully, wondering if this was some kind of trick.

'Because I want you to stop me.' He said simply.

'Why?'

'It's complicated, Stacey.' He sighed and I rolled my eyes, annoyed.

'It always is, Derek.' I muttered, running a hand through my hair, 'I'll save Jackson, thanks for the heads up. When this shit is over, you're giving me an explanation.'

'You got it.' I could hear a smile in his voice and it made the ball of rage in my stomach thaw a little.

I hung up the phone without another word and headed up to my room. I had an hour before dinner would be ready so I made sure I was ahead on my homework—which I was—and squeezed in some studying with Scott for the finals next week. I closed my chemistry book in exasperation, glad to be done with it for the evening. I looked up to see my twin giving me a sympathetic smile.

'You done?' he asked, closing his own workbook.

'Thankfully. Are you caught up on your homework?' I sat up on his bed and crossed my legs so I could make eye contact with him easier.

'Yeah. I need to make sure I keep my grades up for next semester,' he sighed, running a hand through his hair and leaning back in his chair at his desk.

'I'll make sure you do.' I promised him, shuffling to the end and hanging my legs over his bed to the floor, 'Derek called me earlier.'

'What?' he startled, dropping his pen, 'why?'

'Apparently Peter wants him to go after Jackson tonight. He wants me to stop him.' I told him, making sure I kept my voice down.

'Why would he tell you that? What if it's a trick?' he frowned.

'I thought that, but he didn't sound like he was trying to trick me, he sounded… exhausted. I think he wants this to be over just as much as we do.' I admitted.

'I'll go with you,' he said, his voice firm.

'Thanks Scotty,' I smiled and then startled, 'the tetrazzini!'

With that I bolted out of the room, ignoring Scott's amused chuckle as I sprinted to the kitchen. The gods must have been watching over me because it wasn't burned. I placed it on the side to cool down before I served it and shouted Mom and Scott down. But when I didn't get an answer I frowned in confusion, before I could think more of it the doorbell rang.

'Mom! Scott!' I tried again as I headed for the door, but I didn't get an answer. I pulled open the door and shouted over my shoulder, 'it's gonna get cold and cold tetrazzini is not tasty tetrazzini!'

Then I turned to face the visitor and almost visibly jumped, but I managed to catch myself in time.

'What the hell are you doing here?' I growled, I felt my eyes flash because his flashed in response but I just didn't care.

'Well hello to you too,' he said sarcastically, making me roll my eyes.

'I'll repeat—what the _hell_ are you doing here?'

'I have a date, with your mother,' he said, smirking when I visibly jolted in surprise—I hadn't been expecting that.

'My mother?' I clarified, 'you have a date with my mother?'

'That's correct.' He smirked and I moved to slam the door in his face but he stopped me easily.

'Really? Slam the door in my face? Come on, Stacey.' He sounded disappointed, which just irritated me, 'take a second to think that through.'

'I did and I just took a few more…' I bought my index finger to my pursed lips mockingly, 'and it still sounds like a good idea.'

I slammed the door again, managing to shut it and I locked it swiftly. Though in all fairness if he really wanted to get in here, a locked door wasn't gonna stop him. The doorbell rang.

'Stacey! Could you get that please?' My mom shouted.

'I already did, it was a door to door salesman!' I yelled back, 'he'll go away, if he doesn't, I'll call the police!'

'Just make sure it's not my date!' She yelled back as the bell went again.

'It's not!' I assured her, running up the stairs to my twin's room.

'Peter is at the door,' I breathed, knowing Peter could hear us anyway.

'What?' Scott started, almost falling off his desk chair—Stiles would have been proud of his clumsiness.

'Peter is here to take mom to dinner,' I told him patiently, cringing when I heard the bell ring again. I grabbed Scott's abandoned pen and scribbled something on a spare piece of paper.

 _You and Stiles follow them, I'm gonna take care of Jackson._

My twin read my words, but hesitated before nodding. Clearly he wasn't happy with me going alone, and I wasn't either but it couldn't be helped. The doorbell rang again and I went to answer it with a growl.

'Stacey! I don't think that's a door to door salesman!' Mom yelled as my feet hit the last step on the stairs.

'Yeah! I'm checking now!' I shouted, yanking the door open to Peter's smug face, 'you don't give up, do you?'

'Rarely.' He smirked, stepping over the threshold causing me to move back to keep him out of my personal face, 'so what have you and your brother planned?'

I pretended to look confused, which clearly didn't fool him.

'Come on, Stacey—I'm not an idiot. You managed to get away from me at the school, and I know that was your idea,' he paused to step into my personal space, 'and now you come back from upstairs ready to let me into the house, so I'll ask again. What is your plan?'

I stepped away and smirked in amusement, 'are you _afraid,_ Peter? You're an alpha that can transform into a hideous monster and you're scared of what the _teenagers_ are planning?'

He smirked, but it was clear that he wasn't amused. His eyes shifted to an alpha red and I felt my own change in response. I shook my head, getting back in control and glared at him when my eyes returned to their usual brown.

'I'll tell her.' I said, knowing I wouldn't but I was stalling.

'That I used to be a catatonic invalid with burns covering half my face?' he laughed lightly, the sound making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, 'no, you won't because you're too smart for that.'

His hand came up as if he was going to caress my cheek and I stepped out of his reach.

'If you hurt one hair on her head I swear to god… I _will_ kill you.' I growled, my claws grew in my anger.

'I believe you.' He said, staring at my hands before looking up to me with a smile, 'but you have nothing to worry about. I have been in a coma for six years, is it so hard to believe that I'd want to have dinner with a beautiful woman?'

'Yes, when that beautiful woman just happens to be my mother.' I retorted with a glare, 'do you really expect me to believe that's just a coincidence after you sent that text to Allison from her account?'

He full on grinned now—he was putting me more and more on edge and I was pretty sure he knew it. He wanted to know how far he could push me before I snapped, the asshole.

'Alright, you caught me,' he held up his hands in mock surrender, 'maybe I've come up with an idea, like how it might be easier to convince you and your brother to be part of the pack if your mother were a part of it as well.'

I growled, it was a threatening sound that made Peter's smug expression grow tenfold.

'She better come back from this dinner without the bite of an alpha Peter or I swear to _god_ —,' my threat was interrupted by Peter.

'You need to understand how much more powerful we are together. You and me and Scott and Derek.' Peter said, stepping forward and causing me to step back, 'did you know that some of the most successful military operations during the Second World War were the German U-boat attacks?'

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest, 'did you know that the German's lost that war? That their leader committed suicide? You sure that's the analogy you wanna go with?'

He laughed, 'I'll think you'll find that most historians would argue that was due to a failure of leadership.' His eyes hardened before he continued, 'and trust me, we don't have that problem here.'

It was my turn to laugh, 'I'm pretty sure that we do.'

'I'm ready. Sorry that took so long.' She apologized, grabbing her purse from the side table, kissing my cheek before moving to leave with Peter.

'Mom,' I shouted after her, smiling when she hesitated and looked back at me, 'have fun, be careful and stay in public.'

She smiled in amusement and confusion before leaving with the psychotic killer of Beacon Hills. Peter rolled his eyes at me before offering my mom his arm and leading her to the car. I sprinted upstairs and gave my twin a nod, which he returned before climbing through his window and heading after them. I went to my room next and grabbed my leather jacket and keys before pulling my phone out of my jacket and dialing Jackson on my way to the door.

'Hey asshat, where are you?' I asked, locking the front door as I spoke and heading toward Scott's bike.

'Stacey, always a pleasure,' he said sarcastically, I could hear weights clanging in the background, 'I'm at the school, working out.'

'Great, I'm on my way.' I started pedaling at a inhuman speed, 'do me a favour and tell Derek to go and fuck himself if he comes offering you the bite, he just wants you dead.'

'Um—sure thanks,' he said, I could hear him gulping through the phone.

'He's there right now isn't he?' I guessed, pedaling faster—I was like two minutes away.

'Yeah,' he breathed before the phone went dead.

I made it there in under a minute and I was in the gym in thirty seconds—just in time to see Derek shove Jackson with enough force to throw him to the floor.

'Dude, pick on someone your own size,' I muttered, offering Jackson a hand to help him up, which he took after a second of hesitating.

'Stacey,' Derek practically sighed in relief.

'That's me,' I said brightly, too brightly—I had literally just been crying over his betrayal last night and I didn't know how to act around him.

'What's happening?' Jackson asked, practically on the verge of a panic attack.

'I'm not sure yet,' I said honestly, looking over to Derek with a raised eyebrow, 'how do you wanna do this? You want to just let him go or do I need to kick your ass first to make it more believable?'

Derek rolled his eyes, but I saw him fighting a smile that annoyingly thawed my anger at him a little bit.

'Why do you sound so eager to _try_ and kick my ass?' Derek asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

'Well I'm not gonna lie, your betrayal still stings like a bitch,' I told him bluntly, pleased when I saw him wince.

'Stacey…' he started but I held up my hand to cut him off.

'Jackson you should leave,' I looked over to him, giving him a stern look, 'go home and stay there, okay?'

'S-sure,' he stuttered, moving to grab his things from his locker but he hesitated at the door, 'will you be alright?'

I felt my brows rise in surprise—was the arrogant Jackson Whitmore actually _concerned_ about me?

'I'll be fine, Jackie, Derek couldn't kick my ass if he tried,' I assured him, even if I was lying through my teeth.

With a nod he left and I pushed his behaviour into the back of my mind, a possible friendship with Jackson was low on my list of priorities in that moment. Instead I faced the amused looking werewolf in the room with me.

'Alright. You can explain,' I told him, taking a seat on one of the benches and forcing my behaviour to read as uninterested.

'Not here.' Derek shook his head and gestured for me to follow him, which I did, pulling out my phone to text Scott on the way.

 _Me: Jackson's safe. I'm heading somewhere with Derek to talk._

 _Scotty: Be careful. The Argents are still out there and they think you're one of the Betas._

 _Me: I know. How are things with Peter?_

 _Scotty: Under control. I had Stiles run in the back of them—safe to say the dates over, well as soon as the police report has been filed anyway._

 _Me: Great. Good thinking Scotty and kudos to Stiles for risking denting his beloved Roscoe._

 _Scotty: Seriously, you should have seen his face when I suggested it._

 _Me: Haha. I can imagine._

'So where are you taking me?' I asked, leaning against the passenger door of his beloved Camaro.

'To the house. We can talk there,' he sounded sure but I wasn't convinced.

'You mean the same place where Kate ambushed you and tortured you for an entire afternoon?' I said sarcastically, noting that his lips turned down in defeat—obviously he realized that I did in fact have a point.

'Fine. Do you have a better suggestion?' He snapped, looking over to me.

'Yes, keep your eyes on the road,' I rolled my eyes before looking out of the window myself, 'and it's fine. I'm sure we'll survive.'

Derek snorted but otherwise went quiet and we spent the rest of the drive in silence filled with tension. I used the time to sift through my thoughts—there must be a reason that he had joined Peter and it had to be a good one if he was going out of his way to tell me—right? I felt my anger completely fizzle out as I considered this, what if he joined Peter because the only other option was death? What if he was using his position to get close to Peter and inevitably kill him when he had the chance? I rolled my eyes at myself and forced the 'what ifs' swarming my mind to shut it. I was going to wait for Derek to tell me what was going on and that was that. I looked up when I felt us come to a stop and frowned in confusion when I took in our surroundings. We were at a Diner just outside of Beacon Hills. How long had we been driving for?

'You're right, the house isn't safe and at this time of night we can talk without being overheard.' He told me when he saw my confused expression.

'Okay,' I breathed, suddenly nervous.

What if his reason wasn't what I thought? What if this was a ploy to get me alone and kidnap me? To force me to join them?

'Are you alright? You reek of fear,' Derek told me, holding the Diner door open for me to walk through first, which I did.

'You're not going to kidnap me are you?' I asked, trying to sound like I was joking but it was clear by his expression that he didn't find me funny.

'No, I'm not going to kidnap you,' he muttered, shaking his head as if he was disappointed that he even had to say that.

'I'm sorry but until you give me a reason not to I'm gonna be on guard, you're on the alpha's side after all,' I gave him a look that actually made him frown in realization.

'Fair enough.' He led me to a booth at the very back away from the four other patrons that were in the Diner.

I slid in the seat with my back to the restaurant and Derek slid in opposite me so he could see the rest of the room as well as me.

'So. Talk,' I ordered him, knowing I wasn't going to be able to think about anything else until he filled me in.

'Peter is too strong for me to defeat by myself, I tried and failed, miserably,' he rolled his eyes, annoyed with himself, 'so I pretended to join him, to get close enough to him so that I can take him down when he's least expecting it.'

I narrowed my eyes as I studied him, looking for any trace of deceit, but his heartbeat remained steady and his eyes were sincere. I sighed, the anger completely leaving me and nodded in acceptance.

'Okay,' I said simply, picking up the menu on the table and looking through the specials.

'Okay?' Derek parroted, shocked that it had been that easy.

'Yeah. I get it and I'm not mad anymore, but you betray me again and I will personally have Deaton chop off things you would rather keep,' I promised him with a light tone, biting back a grin when he visibly paled.

'I hate you,' he grumbled, picking up his own menu.

'Sure you do,' I winked, laughing when he glared at me.

I was saved from hearing his retort when a waitress came over. Her nametag said Diana and I offered her a smile that she returned but it was clearly forced.

'What can I get you?' She asked, her notepad out and ready to take our order.

'I'll have a cheeseburger and fries with a diet coke please.' I told her, folding my menu shut.

'I'll have the same but with a sprite.' Derek sighed, looking incredibly tired.

Diana nodded, wrote it down and scurried off to the kitchen.

'So, you been up to anything interesting lately?' I asked, grinning when he gave me an unimpressed look, 'besides following Peter's every order.'

'Do you really need me to answer that question?' he said incredulously.

'Fine, I guess not,' I rolled my eyes dramatically, 'I went to the movies with Stiles, Scott and Allison today. Deadpool two is hilarious, encase you were wondering.'

'The first one was great.' He admitted, a small smile on his face, 'Laura forced me to go and see it and she wouldn't stop bragging about being right after it made me laugh.'

'I think me and your sister would have gotten along great,' I smiled, thinking of the female Hale that I had known. I wondered if we would still be friends now, if she were alive.

'You would,' he said so quietly that I almost didn't hear him, but I did and at his sad tone I reached across the table and squeezed his hand comfortingly. He stared at my hand on top of his for a while before he moved to gently squeeze my fingers. I felt my heart skip a beat and silently prayed that he didn't hear it.

'So lets talk about happier things,' I decided, smiling at Diana in thanks as she placed the food in front of us before walking away.

'Such as?' he cocked a brow, shoving some fries into his mouth.

'Where were you in the six years you left Beacon Hills?' I asked, taking a sip of my drink.

'In New York,' He answered, a small smile playing on the corners of his lips, 'Laura was convinced that it was the perfect place to start fresh, though it was obvious she just moved there because of me.'

'What do you mean because of you?' I wondered, taking a huge bite of my burger that made Derek raise his brows in amusement.

'I got offered a place at Columbia.' He said quietly, 'Laura knew I would have blown it off if she hadn't made us move there.'

'That's amazing! Columbia is one of the top universities in New York,' I tried to steer the topic away from his sister—it was obvious by his tense shoulders that he didn't want to talk about her and I couldn't understand, he'd only lost her a few weeks ago, 'what was your major?'

'I majored in History with a minor in English—I graduated in the summer.' He cleared his throat, but I could hear the pride in his voice.

'You must be proud, that's awesome!' I grinned and flushed a little when I realized I had been loud enough to attract the attention of the four other people that were in the Diner. I sunk down in my seat and threw a fry at Derek when he smirked at me.

'I was wondering…' when Derek groaned, I grinned, 'can werewolves get drunk? Does caffeine affect us? What other supernatural creatures are there?'

'We can't get drunk, caffeine affects us like everyone else and that question is gonna take longer than this meal to answer.' Derek shrugged, finishing off his burger.

'Another time,' I waved him off, finishing my drink and checking the time—I almost spat it all over the blue-eyed wolf when I saw how late it actually was.

'Dude it's one in the morning!' I gasped, wincing when I saw the unanswered texts from my twin and mom.

 _Scotty: Is everything ok?_

 _Scotty: Stace? Text me back soon or I'll call Stiles._

 _Scotty: Or Mom._

 _Scotty: Or the Sherriff_

 _Scotty: STACEY!_

 _Mom: Sweetie, where are you?_

 _Mom: Your not with Stiles or Scott so where are you?_

 _Mom: Scott said you were at Lydia's. Stay out as late as you want, but don't tell your brother I said that._

'Well that's one thing at least.' I muttered, running a hand through my hair.

'What's wrong?' Derek asked, frowning in concern.

'Scott and Mom were asking where I was,' I told him, typing a reply.

Me: Sorry Scotty I lost track of time, thanks for covering with Mom. Be home soon.

Me: Thanks Mom, I would have told you but it was a last minute thing and I didn't want to interrupt your date!

'Are you ready to go?' I asked, not wanting to outright tell him to take me home. I pulled out two twenties and put them on the table to cover the food, Derek looked bemused which made me laugh, 'I got it, consider it a congratulations for your degree.'

His expression turned soft and a genuine smile lit up his face and I found myself wanting to commit it to memory and so I did.

Derek blinked, 'did you just take a _photo_ of me?'

I laughed and slid out of the booth so he couldn't take my phone from me, 'maybe.'

He rolled his eyes and followed after me, 'now I don't feel bad about the picture I got of you.'

I laughed, 'yeah right—wait, what?' I turned around and cocked my brow at him, the street lamps in the car park only illuminated half his face but it was enough.

'I didn't say anything,' he shrugged, sliding into his car without a care in the world.

'Derek Hale!' I laughed and got into the car with him, 'I thought you'd be above using pictures for blackmail.'

'Blackmail?' He parroted as he started to drive back towards Beacon.

'Yeah, you should see the pics I have of Stiles.' I said seriously.

He snorted, 'I can imagine.'

I yawned, pulling my jacket tighter around me. I debated leaning the seat back but I knew I would just end up falling asleep.

'Stacey?' Derek said but his voice sounded far away and I was only able to offer up a 'hmm,' in response.

'What's wrong with her?' I heard a voice ask, but I ignored it and nuzzled deeper into my covers in a vain attempt to go back to sleep.

'Nothing. She fell asleep on the drive back and I couldn't get her to wake up.' Another voice answered, sounding like it was coming from underneath me. How?

'Shhh,' I groaned, irritated that I was being disturbed.

I jolted when I was put down somewhere, but after I inhaled I realized I was on my bed. I was more than happy to fall back asleep but someone was tugging at my feet. I kicked out and didn't make contact with anything, but it just happened again five seconds later.

'Stop,' I complained, trying to kick them away but I was prohibited by a strong hold on my thighs.

'Your shoes need to come off,' a deep voice replied and I sighed in irritation and defeat. I stopped struggling and smiled when I heard my shoes fall to the floor with a thump. I almost screamed when I felt my arm being grabbed, but I relaxed when I opened my eyes and saw Derek standing sheepishly over me.

'You need to take off your jacket,' he said after clearing his throat.

I blinked at him, feeling disorientated and confused. What did he want? I frowned and pointed at his jacket.

'If you don't want to wear it then take it off.' I mumbled before rolling to the opposite side of the bed.

'Stacey!' he scolded me but I thought I could hear laughter in his voice.

'Stacey's tired,' I mumbled into my pillow.

'You can sleep when you take off your jacket.' He told me, rolling me onto my back with a hand to my arm.

I sighed sleepily and held up one of my arms. He looked confused until I gave him a pointed look and waved my arm in his face.

'Pull,' I mumbled, frowning in confusion when he looked like he was fighting the urge to laugh, 'Derek, pull.'

He rolled his eyes but did as I asked and pulled the sleeve of the jacket, catching my arm when I nearly fell backwards off the bed. I threw my jacket onto the floor and yanked Derek onto the bed, my sleepy brain just thinking of needing his heat now my jacket was gone. He landed on the bed with a bounce and I nuzzled into his side.

'You're warm,' I smiled happily, inhaling his scent. He smelled like leather, the woods and fresh rain and oddly enough it comforted me enough to allow me to fall into unconsciousness.

 **I hope you enjoyed this update! Please review and let me know what you think—I put a lot of time into this one; it took a while to decide how it was going to go. I really wanted some scenes between Stacey and other characters that didn't involve werewolf business so I hope you enjoyed that! See you next time :)**


	10. Formality

Chapter Ten

My dreamless sleep that morning was interrupted by someone screaming. I jolted in surprise and sat up to look for any signs of danger, but when I didn't see any I gave my mom a look of irritation where she stood at the foot of my bed.

'What's with the screaming wake up call?' I groaned, bringing my hands to my head to massage my temples.

I swung my legs to the side of the bed and cocked my brow over to my mom when she didn't answer.

'Who is that?' She asked instead of answering me and I followed her pointing finger to the other side of my bed.

Derek was somehow still asleep, or at least he appeared that way but when I focused on his heartbeat I could hear the uptick that meant he was conscious. I couldn't exactly blame him for trying to avoid this situation though.

'Shhh,' I shushed her and stood from the bed, gently leading her to the hallway and closing the door behind me.

'Why are you shushing me? I just walked in on you with a boy—no a man—in your bed and I would like an explanation right now, young lady!' She demanded, her brown eyes were alight with determination and shock.

'Of course you would like an explanation, and you're going to get one,' I said nodding my head and trying to stall for as long as possible.

'Is he your boyfriend?' Mom asked when I was quiet for too long.

'What? No!' I shook my head and I could feel an embarrassed flush rising on my cheeks. Seeing as I could only successfully lie in life or death situations and this didn't really seem to qualify, I decided to tell her the truth and just leave a few things out, 'he's my friend Derek. He came over to binge watch friends with me and we must have fallen asleep.'

'Well that explains why you're still wearing your clothes from yesterday.' She nodded, and I had to hold back a sigh of relief that she seemed to buy my excuse, 'well why aren't you going out with him?'

I blinked at the change in topic and stared at my mom with an expression I had to assume was a mixture of dazed and confused.

'What?' I breathed in surprise.

'He's gorgeous! If I was twenty years younger I would be—,' she stopped talking when I put my hand over her mouth and gave me a questioning look.

'Please stop, he's my friend, okay?' I practically pleaded with her, rolling my eyes when I heard Derek quietly laughing on the other side of the door.

'Okay honey,' she smiled and started to head for Scott's room, but I stopped her in her tracks with a question.

'How was your date?' I asked—I had heard that Scott and Stiles managed to stop Peter, but I hadn't heard mom's version of the story.

'It was going fine until your best friend rammed the car we were driving to the restaurant in!' She muttered, sounding angry, 'after that he ended up taking me straight home.'

'Well that's understandable.' I shrugged, crossing my arms over my chest.

'Yeah,' she let out a little laugh but I could tell she was more upset about this than she was trying to let on.

'If he can't handle a little fender bender then he wasn't for you anyway,' I waved my free hand dismissively, while the other rested on my mom's shoulders, 'you deserve someone whose a little braver, who can handle anything. This Peter guy sounds live a complete wimp and you, Melissa McCall deserve someone who could survive a fender bender and still take you on a romantic dinner date.'

I saw tears in her eyes, but much to my relief they were happy tears. I pulled her into a hug, listening to her heartbeat and I was glad to hear that it was steady—if she had been upset it would have been much faster and irrational.

'I love you hermosa, dulce niña.' She pulled back from the hug and caressed the sides of my face.

'I love you too,' I rolled my eyes and then smiled, 'eres la hermosa, mi querida madre.'

She let out a delighted laugh and tucked my hair behind my ear before placing a kiss on my cheek.

'I'm gonna go and make some breakfast. Do waffles sound good?' Mom asked, offering me a bright smile as she made her way to wake up my brother.

'Sounds great, mom.' I smiled brightly, 'are you off today?'

'No, but I'm not in until one so I have some time to meet this elusive friend of yours,' she grinned at me before stepping into Scott's room and shouting at him to get up.

I felt my eyebrows shoot up in surprise and it took me a moment to recover and turn to open my bedroom door. I stepped inside and slammed it shut, rolling my eyes at the wolf that was still trying to pass as asleep on my bed.

'Derek, you're not fooling anyone.' I rolled my eyes when he still refused to move but I couldn't help the smile that formed on my lips when I saw his own turn up into a smirk.

I walked over to his side of the bed and ripped the covers off him but before I could do anything else I was suddenly underneath him on the bed. I blinked up at him in shock and couldn't help but burst out laughing when I realized what had happened. I was hoping he didn't notice my heartbeat pounding in my chest due to his proximity; maybe he brushed it off because his own heart was beating fast.

'A Friends marathon?' he asked in amusement, his blue eyes were sparkling.

'You have something against one of the best comedy sitcoms in America?' I said sarcastically, bringing my hand to my heart dramatically, silently begging it to slow down, 'I'm sorry Derek, but this friendship cannot continue.'

He laughed a genuine laugh that lit up his entire face with happiness and made his eyes sparkle and I found myself smiling in reaction.

'Maybe you're right. I need friends who have better taste in television.' He smirked, his voice teasing.

'Excuse me, Derek Hale but I'm not the one with questionable taste if _you're_ the one who doesn't like Friends.' I insisted, pursing my lips in thought, 'have you even seen Friends?'

'Well…' he ducked his head and pretty much rested it on my chest while he shook with silent laughter. Okay if my heartbeat hadn't been going crazy before, it definitely was now.

'How can you make a judgment if you haven't even _seen_ it?' I practically shrieked, smacking his shoulder, 'that's it you're watching it right now.'

I tried to roll him off me but because he was holding onto my waist and wasn't expecting me to change our position, _I_ ended up on _top_ of him. Derek blinked and cleared his throat—I heard his pulse pick up a little before it returned to a steady rhythm. I was internally cursing my own heart for not being that calm and collected as I pushed off him as if we hadn't been in a compromising position and headed to the T.V. to put on the very first episode of one of my favorite T.V. shows.

'We're really doing this?' Derek scoffed, sitting up on my bed and putting a pillow between his back and the headboard to make himself more comfortable.

'Yup. We have time for one episode before breakfast is ready, so prepare to be blown away.' I declared.

'What are you doing?' He asked with a confused frown when he saw me ruffling through my drawers.

'I'm gonna put some comfy clothes on, jeans are _not_ fun to sleep in. Thank god I had the common sense to take off my jacket.' I mused, grabbing a one of Stiles' old t-shirts and some sweatpants.

'You're kidding right?' he said, laughter in his tone.

'No, why?' I frowned.

'I told you that you needed to take your jacket off and you made me take it off for you,' he rolled his eyes almost affectionately.

'I did?' I laughed in amusement before wondering, 'how did you end up staying anyway?'

'You wrestled me into the bed and wouldn't let me leave. Every time I tried you'd cry out you were cold and then hold me tighter.' He shook his head in disbelief and I turned towards the bathroom to hide the embarrassed flush on my cheeks.

'Sorry,' I bit my bottom lip and looked at him over my shoulder, 'I didn't mean to force you to stay. Next time get Scotty to help you.'

'I tried that, after he accused me of hurting you and realized you were just tired he patted my shoulder and wished me luck.' He said, deadpan before his eyes softened slightly, 'and I didn't mind.'

I bit my lip to hide my smile as I offered him a nod and a thumbs up that was very Stiles before I dove into the bathroom. I resisted the urge to bang my head against the wall before I changed—trust Stiles' characteristics to rear their head at the most inopportune moments. I threw my dirty clothes into my hamper and brushed my teeth, I was just walking out of the bathroom and tying my hair into a messy ponytail when Scott decided to join us in the room.

'Morning Scotty.' I greeted him brightly, ruffling his already messy hair.

'Morning Stace,' he yawned, scratching his bare chest, his eyes followed me as I joined Derek in the bed. He did a double take when he saw the blue eyed wolf beside me, 'Derek? What are you doing here?'

'Your sister forced me to stay last night.' Derek answered; the calm carefree version of him had disappeared as soon as Scott walked in. He was temporarily back to being the broody, stoic man we had first met in the woods.

I shrugged when Scott looked over to me, not feeling like explaining, 'did you need something? Because I'm trying to educate Derek on good T.V.'

Scott frowned and looked over to what we were watching; his face broke into a grin when he saw what it was, 'you and your Friends obsession.'

'I am not _obsessed_ , thank you very much,' I rolled my eyes and pulled my comforter up over Derek and I, shifting to get comfortable.

'Are we gonna talk about what reason he gave you to trust him enough to let him sleep in your bed?' Scott crossed his arms over his chest and gave Derek and I a pointed look.

I looked over to the blue-eyed wolf, cocking my brow in question, silently telling him that it's his story to tell. Derek rolled his eyes slightly but looked over to Scott with a slight huff to tell him what he told me last night.

'So you're on our side?' Scott clarified.

'Basically, yes.' I nodded in agreement, laying my head on Derek's shoulder.

Scott's eyebrows shot up at how comfortable I was acting around the older male before he nodded in acceptance and looked over to Derek. Scott's expression turned into a frown before he spoke.

'Stiles is coming over after breakfast—he wants help studying for the chemistry final tomorrow.' He said, running his hand through his hair.

'And you're helping him?' I asked in amusement.

'Actually we were hoping that you could give us a hand? I need at least a B in this test so that my grades are good for me to play lacrosse next semester.' Scott said, his eyes pleading with me to help him.

'I'll help you Scotty, but I thought Stiles usually helped you study?' I frowned, knowing our brown-eyed friend was more than capable of getting an A in chemistry.

'He usually does, but with everything that's been happening he hasn't been keeping on top of things and he's a little stuck on a few topics.' Scott scratched his head guiltily and I could relate.

'I got it. I'll help, no problem.' I told him with an earnest smile.

'Thanks, you're the best!' my twin grinned; showing off is dimples before he darted from the room.

'Okay, we should be able to watch this without being interrupted now.' I muttered, my head still resting on Derek's shoulder.

Derek merely offered me a hmm of agreement as I turned the T.V. up and played the episode. Before we were called down for breakfast, I caught Derek suppressing laughter twice. If I hadn't made such a deal out of it I'm pretty sure he would have laughed more.

'Go on then.' I said to him as we entered the hallway to head downstairs.

'Go on what?' he asked with a blank expression that wasn't fooling me.

'I'm ready for your admission.' I told him, sending a quirked brow over my shoulder.

When he remained quiet I shook my head, amused by his stubbornness.

'Fine, don't say it, but we all know you're now a Friends fan,' I said in a singsong voice, laughing when he gave me a dry look.

Derek and I were the first ones to the kitchen; I assumed Scott was just getting out of the shower or something, because usually he couldn't run fast enough to get to Mom's waffles.

'They smell delicious momma.' I commented as I took my seat at the table after grabbing my plate.

'They do, Mrs McCall. I'm Derek by the way, I'm sorry for shocking you when you came in this morning.' Derek said in the politest tone I had _ever_ heard him use. He offered her his hand to shake and she took it without hesitation, offering him a warm smile.

'Please call me Mellissa, and it's fine I don't mind you staying over but it would have been nice to get an introduction first.' She gave me a pointed look that I returned with an innocent smile.

'Won't happen again,' I promised her as she and Derek came to sit at the table.

With introductions out of the way, breakfast passed pretty normally, aside from mom making comments about how nice of a boyfriend Derek would be to "someone" someday. Scott came down five minutes later, but he was gone just as fast as he scoffed his breakfast down, kissed Mom's cheek and ran back upstairs. I assumed he was getting ready for Stiles' visit, or he was uncomfortable with Derek's presence. Which I couldn't really blame him for; Derek's guard was always up around everyone else, he didn't get to see the glimpses of the real Derek like I did. For some reason, I had earned a smidgen of Derek's trust, enough for him to be a little more comfortable around me than he was with anyone else. I'm sure Scott would earn it too, just like I had—though I wasn't one hundred percent clear on _how_ I had but that didn't matter.

'Thank you for breakfast.' Derek said to my mom who offered him a bright smile.

'You're welcome, and you're welcome here anytime Derek.' My mom told him before giving me a pointed look that made me roll my eyes.

'I'll walk you out.' I offered—he had already been upstairs to grab his shoes, jacket and keys so he was ready to leave.

'That was… interesting,' Derek murmured as I opened the front door.

I huffed because I knew he was referring to the not-so-subtle hints my mom had been dropping over breakfast. Why she was so eager for me to have a boyfriend all of a sudden, I didn't know.

'Yeah I don't know what came over her. I think the date Peter took her on last night has stirred some ideas.' I gave him a pointed look that made him roll his eyes.

'I didn't know anything about that. He told me to go to Jackson but wouldn't give a hint over what he was doing.' Derek told me, allowing me to see the sincerity in his eyes.

'It's fine,' I shrugged, smiling in amusement when I remembered what had happened, 'it all worked out.'

'I heard,' he tapped his ear; reminding me he had been listening to our conversation in the hall earlier.

'Mmm hmm,' I hummed, not looking him in the eye because I didn't want to address the other comments my mom had made during that particular interaction.

'Well I should go. Peter's going to want to know what happened with Jackson.' Derek said, his expression suddenly sobered when I looked up to him.

'He won't hurt you will he?' I asked in a small voice, worry for him forming in my gut.

'He should be fine when I tell him it was you who stopped me.' He shrugged, but he didn't seem so sure of that.

'Yeah blame it all on me, that's fine, I can handle Peter,' I waved my hand dismissively as I tried to act confident.

Derek gave me a look that was both doubtful and amused. He was about to leave when I surprised us both and leaped into his arms, hugging him as hard as I could. I was pretty sure I heard a few bones crack, but he didn't complain and instead returned my embrace with equal enthusiasm.

'Be careful,' I mumbled into his neck, fighting back the tears of fear that were attempting to form in my eyes.

'I will,' he assured me, giving me one final squeeze before he turned and left.

After the blue-eyed wolf drove off, I headed to my room to grab the necessary supplies to help both Scott and Stiles study and headed over to my twins room to set up. We had all studied together hundreds of times, though it usually took place in silence with the occasional question to clarify something we weren't sure of. Today though, it seemed all attention was going to be focused on me, and seeing as it would only be Scott and Stiles I was fine with it.

'Are you ready for this?' I asked my twin who was sat on his desk with a concerned expression on his face, 'you look a little worried.'

'No, I'm fine. It's just if I don't get my grades up next semester there's a chance I'll have to repeat sophomore year.' He sighed.

'That won't happen, Scotty. I'll make sure of it, even if I have to physically force you to study every night.' I assured him, getting up from the bed and leaning down to give him a hug.

'Thanks Stace.' He murmured into my hair and I squeezed him a little tighter in response.

I had just pulled away when our overactive friend burst through the door, eyes on his phone but talking a million miles a minute.

'Hey guys, so I was looking at the prices for the tickets for the formal next week and they're actually pretty affordable, I already have my tux rented and once I have the tickets I'll be ready… though I'll need a date seeing as you'll be going with Allison,' Stiles gestured over to Scott without looking at him but then he paused and slowly looked up from his phone and over to me, his eyes pleading, 'Stace will you go to the dance with me? As friends?'

'Sorry Stiles but I'm working _and_ I hate dances.' I told him firmly, not allowing his puppy dog eyes to shift my decision, I held out my hand palm up, 'give me your phone, you'll get it back at the end of class.'

'Fine,' he huffed, handing it over like I had asked him to take off his arm.

I rolled my eyes and pocketed it before turning to my twin and offering him the same treatment. He sent off a text to Allison and then handed it over with a smile.

'So, this is the syllabus containing all the topics we've gone over in chemistry this semester.' I held up two copies that I had printed off, giving one to each of them before holding up two red highlighters, two yellow and two green, 'go through each of them, mark the ones you're confident in with green, ones your not sure of with yellow and ones you need all the help you can get with in red.'

We lapsed into a comfortable silence for five minutes while they followed my instructions and I took the time to scroll thorough my phone and I was about to put it away—the drama of Facebook was starting to irk me—when I got a text.

 _Derek: I just thought, I still owe you a gallon of milk._

 _Me: That's right! How did I forget about that? I don't need it this week, but I wouldn't pass up some chocolate if you wanna call it even?_

 _Derek: How about greasy food and a milkshake? Tonight? I'll buy?_

 _Me: You have yourself a deal. Pick me up at 8ish?_

 _Derek: You got it._

I tossed my phone to the side, fighting the happy smile on my face because I knew I would only get questioned about it. I saw Scott and Stiles were almost finished with their task and I bit my lip, anxious to get started and stop myself from counting down the minutes until 8 like a typical teenage girl. He was my friend that was it. Just a friend. Maybe if I thought it enough it would eventually become true. Here's hoping.

'Finished,' Scott and Stiles said at the same time and I would have commented on how twinnish that was if I wasn't determined to teach them everything they needed to know.

I accepted the papers back from them and bit back a groan of irritation—the topics Stiles was confident with were ones Scott needed the most help with. Scott had no topics he was confident with, but the bright side was the ones they were reasonably confident with overlapped a little, and so did some of the red ones.

'Okay, I'm going to start you off with the photoelectric effect,' I decided, seeing as both of them had highlighted it in red. I launched into the explanation at a steady pace so that they both had time to jot down their notes and when Scott was still struggling to understand I offered him my notes on the topic and let him read through them while I quizzed Stiles, making sure he had a sound understanding.

That was how the rest of the day went, I went through every single topic we had learned this semester in eight hours. Mom came up and bought us sandwiches for lunch before she left for work, but other than to use the bathroom we didn't leave the room for the entire day. After Scott and Stiles were confident with everything I had gone over, I used a mock final quiz to quiz them on the topics at random, having them write their answers down on a piece of paper and offering them a cookie if they got it right. We had reached that point where we were hungry for dinner, so the food stimulus was welcome in getting them to focus. Eventually we were closing all of our textbooks and notes with a tired sigh.

'That was intense.' Stiles groaned, rubbing his hand over his face.

'Yeah.' Scott agreed, rubbing his eyes, 'thank you Stace, I actually think I might pass this test tomorrow.'

'Yeah thanks,' Stiles said, offering me a sincere thumbs up.

'You're welcome boys, now I'm gonna go and shower and get dressed.' I said, standing from the bed and making sure I had all of my things with me.

'Why?' they asked at the same time.

'Okay you two are spending way too much time together,' I laughed and paused to answer their question with my hand on the door handle, 'I'm meeting Derek for dinner.'

Before they could say anything I was in the hallway and in my own room in a flash, locking the door behind me. Scott probably wouldn't have been that surprised, but Stiles didn't know about Derek's secret alliance so I decided to leave explaining that to my twin. It was seven, so I didn't have as much time to relax in the shower as I would have liked—usually I took at least thirty minutes but when I had to rush I took half that.

Once I was finished in the shower I dried myself off, put my hair into a bun, tossed my towels in the laundry bin and stood in front of my wardrobe deciding on what to wear. It was just a friend hanging out with a friend so I didn't need to get too dressed up, and with that logic in mind I threw on a black denim mini skirt with a white tank top, my combat boots and my leather jacket. I didn't bother with make up seeing as I'd have to take it off as soon as I got home anyway. It was Sunday so I didn't feel too bad about not putting in much of an effort.

I was just putting some money and my phone into my pocket when I heard a horn beep. I headed downstairs, shouting out a general goodbye to Scott and Stiles. After I grabbed my keys from the side table and locked the front door I was walking towards Derek's car, excited for the prospect of a milkshake and greasy food.

'Hey,' I said brightly as I slid into the car.

'Hey,' Derek returned, seemingly amused by my chipper attitude, 'I thought you'd be worn out after teaching those idiots chemistry all day.'

'First of all they are not idiots, second of all I am but you'd be surprised how much the promise of a milkshake can lift a girls spirits.' I mused, my elbow rested on the side of the door, allowing me to prop my cheek up with my hand.

Derek laughed and shook his head, 'I'll remember that if I ever piss you off.'

'You would do well to.' I told him honestly with a shrug, 'Scott and Stiles have bought my forgiveness with sweets plenty of times.'

'That doesn't surprise me.' He mused, absentmindedly tapping his fingers against the steering wheel to the beat of the song playing.

I recognized the song as soon as I paid attention to it—Shawn Mendez' "Treat you better". Without thinking I reached over and turned the volume up considerably as I sang along with the song at the top of my lungs.

'I know I can treat you better than he can, and any girl like you deserves a gentleman,' I sang, laughing through the words when I noticed the incredulous expression on Derek's face, 'tell me why are we wasting time on all your wasted crying when you could be with me instead, I know I can treat you better, better than he can.'

I broke off, breaking down in laughter that I couldn't hold back anymore. I couldn't remember ever laughing that hard—tears were streaming down my cheeks, my sides were hurting and my cheeks were aching from smiling. I turned the radio back down so he could hear me when I spoke. When I noticed the soft look on his face I cleared my throat so that my voice wouldn't break when I spoke.

'You look like you've never seen someone jamming out in a car before.' My tone was still dripping with laughter.

'Oh I have, but not quite like that.' He returned my amusement and shook his head, his eyes flickering back to the road.

'Well what can I say, I take the love of a song one step further,' I smiled innocently when he gave me a sarcastic look.

The rest of the drive was spent in comfortable silence and me anxiously tapping my thigh, trying not to think about how _starving_ I was. I hadn't eaten since lunch and I was definitely paying the price for it. I spent the last five minutes deciding what I was going to order and climbed out of the car before we had even come to a full stop.

'Stacey!' Derek scolded, climbing out of his Camoro with a frown on his handsome face.

'What?' I asked, coming around the car and grabbing his hand to drag him along when he didn't move.

'You can't just jump out of a moving car.' He told me, entwining his fingers through mine and I tried to ignore the butterflies that grew in my stomach as I answered him.

'I can when I'm hungry.' I mumbled, pushing open the door of the Diner—the same one we had come to yesterday.

Derek rolled his eyes but didn't comment and didn't fight me as I dragged him to our booth and practically threw a menu at him. His lips twitched in amusement but he started to look through it and I offered the new waitress—her tag said Sadie—a warm smile when she came over to us. She was a lot younger than Diana, probably not far off my age actually and she returned my smile before proceeding to ignore me when she noticed Derek. I rolled my eyes and waited to see if she would actually acknowledge me.

'What can I get you?' She said, looking at the blue-eyed wolf across from me.

'Do you wanna order first, Stace? I haven't decided yet.' He didn't even look up from his menu.

I bit my lip to hide a smile as Sadie turned to me, seeming a little disheartened.

'I'll take a southern fried wrap, curly fries and a chocolate milkshake please.' I said brightly, feeling my stomach rumble as if it knew I was ordering.

'And you?' She turned back to Derek so fast I thought she had snapped her neck for a second.

'I'll have the same but a water instead of a milkshake.' Derek said, closing his menu and offering it to her without actually looking at her.

'I'll get that started for you.' She didn't try to hide the disappointment in her voice as she collected my menu as well before scurrying away.

'She was totally into you.' I told him as if he didn't already know, 'I'll bet you ten bucks her number is on the bill.'

'I'll take that deal,' he smirked, shaking my outstretched hand once before letting go, 'I'm pretty sure she flirts with everyone and everyone in the hopes of getting better tips.'

I followed his gaze with a frown and saw Sadie offering the same treatment to a couple of teenagers who had just walked in.

'Nah, I still think she'll give you her number—you're way hotter than them.' I almost slapped my hand over my mouth when I realized what I said, but I found myself praying for the ground to swallow me up instead.

Derek laughed, amused by my embarrassment and thankfully took pity on me and steered the conversation to a different topic.

'So what kind of music are you into?' he asked and I smiled at how normal the question was before answering.

'A little of everything. It drives Scott crazy because Stiles and I have the same music taste, during a car ride the songs can shift through Taylor Swift, Eminem and Shawn Mendez with us singing every song.' I shrugged, moving to shrug off my jacket—it was getting a little warm.

Derek's gaze lingered on the exposed skin on my arms and chest before he met my amused gaze. He cleared his throat and I noticed that the tips of his ears had turned red, and seeing as he'd been nice enough to spare me earlier I decided to offer him the same courtesy.

'What about you?' I elaborated at his confused frown, 'what's your favorite music.'

'Ugh, R and B mostly, with the occasional exception.' He replied easily, shrugging off his own jacket and I tried not to let my gaze linger on the muscles fighting to escape his black t-shirt.

'Who's an exception?' I asked curiously.

'Shawn Mendez,' he shrugged with a slight smile.

'Have you ever seen him in concert?'

'Yeah, a couple of times in New York. He's amazing live.' He told me with a small smile, 'have you ever seen anyone live?'

'No, I never really have the time I guess, in between school, volunteering and working.' I shrugged, pursing my lips to hide my frown of disappointment.

'You can't keep doing that you know.' He gave me a pointed look that I ignored, but apparently he was feeing determined, 'you're only sixteen, Stacey, you should be out at concerts with friends and blowing your money on useless crap. Not saving for collage, paying off bills, grocery shopping and doing most of the cooking and cleaning.'

'Maybe I shouldn't be,' I conceded with a casual shrug, 'but if I didn't help out then I don't even want to think about where we would be. Our electricity, our phones and our utilities would have been shut off in the past three months alone. My mom works back to back shifts at the hospital to provide for us and it's never enough, she needs the help Derek as much as it hurts her that I have to help her financially and physically with the chores, she needs it and I'm not just going to sit back and watch the house fall apart if there's something I can do about it.'

I hadn't realized tears had started falling down my cheeks and when I noticed I bit my lip to stop myself from crying harder. I looked down at the table, avoiding Derek's pitying gaze as I tried to pull myself together. I started when he slid into my side of the booth, gently moving me over so he could fit in. He wound his arm around my shoulders and my head went to the crook of his neck.

'I blame my dad,' I said after a few minutes of silence, 'he just left ten years ago after he had another drunk episode and he and my mom were arguing _again_. The next morning he was gone and ten years later we haven't heard a peep from him. He hasn't tried to support my mom, he hasn't tried to see us and it's because of him that my mom has had to pick up extra shifts at the hospital, she has to work herself to the bone to keep a roof over our head all because he's a shitty dad. I hate him. I hate him so much.'

'He sounds like a dick.' Derek told me bluntly, startling a breathy laugh out of me.

'He is. I can't remember a time when he was a good dad.' I told him in a small voice—I had only ever talked to Stiles about this. I never told my Mom or Scott because I didn't want to bring up bad memories or make my Mom feel guilty. It wasn't her fault.

Derek didn't say anything else, but he didn't need to. He just continued to hold me and even placed a kiss to my hair at one point that made my heart skip a beat. When I'd finally pulled myself together, I pulled away from his neck and wiped my cheeks.

'Thank you. For listening and not thinking I'm a total psycho.' I offered him a sheepish smile that he returned.

'Being angry with someone doesn't make you a psycho, Stacey.' He assured me, squeezing my shoulders with the arm that still rested there.

I was secretly glad when he kept holding me and he didn't return to his side of the booth. Sadie was not impressed with this development when she bought out our food and drinks but I ignored her envious stare and offered her a smile after she'd set our orders in front of us. We ate our meals in companionable silence and I even offered Derek a sip of my precious milkshake—I noticed him giving me a questioning glance when I'd moaned at how good it tasted and decided he needed to know I wasn't exaggerating. He made the _quietest_ sound of pleasure when he tasted it that I wouldn't have been able to hear without my supernatural senses, but I did hear it and I sent him a smug smile that made him roll his eyes.

Before I knew it, it was past 11pm and I reluctantly told him that I needed to get home for some sleep for school tomorrow. He paid the bill this time, reminding me this was him making up for the gallon of milk he destroyed, he even left Sadie a reasonable tip to make up for not taking the receipt with her phone number on it. I was laughing on the way out of the Diner thanks to that little detail and held my hand out in a gimmie gesture.

'Cough it up Derek Hale, I was right, you're dashingly handsome good looks were too much for her to resist.' I teased, grinning when he passed me the ten bucks.

'You win this time.' He rolled his eyes with a smile.

We climbed into the car and he let me plug my phone into his sound system to give him a taste of the music I listened to. I'm pretty sure he regretted it when I pressed shuffle and the first song to come on was "Right Here, Right Now" from High School Musical 3. I grinned and sang the whole song from start to finish.

'You need to learn the Troy parts so we can sing it together,' I told him seriously as the notes of the songs died out.

'Yeah, that's not happening.' He said, giving me a firm look.

'You doubt my ability to persuade, Derek Hale,' I winked at him, laughing when he gave me a sarcastic look before I started to sing to the next song that came on—Avicii "Addicted to You.' By the time we pulled up in front of my house, I hadn't missed a single song from my playlist and I could tell Derek was mildly impressed.

'You weren't kidding about knowing that playlist through and through.' He mumbled, running his hand through his hair.

'I never kid about knowing music.' I said seriously, reaching over to give him a hug. He hesitated in surprise but hugged me back after a moment, 'see you later.' I smiled when I pulled back before getting out of the car.

I waved one final time, which he returned, before I unlocked the door and walked into the house. I smiled when I heard his car drive away a moment later—he had waited for me to get inside safely before he left. I went to the kitchen and decided to cook mom something for dinner that she could take to work with her tomorrow. I suppressed the pang of guilt when I realized I hadn't made her anything to take today as I shifted through the ingredients in the fridge. I settled on a sausage and cheese pasta bake—it was one of her favourite dishes that I cooked and it could be a little apology for my lack of providing food today. By the time I was finished I was turning the oven off to leave it in there overnight and I caught sight of the clock on the counter. 12:30am. With a yawn I left a note on the fridge telling mom where her dinner was and made my way up stairs.

It was when I was tucked up underneath my blue comforter about to fall asleep that I realized this was the first time in a few days that I wasn't going to sleep with Derek next to me. I ignored the pang of loss in my stomach as I forced myself to stop thinking about it and eventually, I fell asleep.

 _Wednesday, at school._

'That was easier than I thought it would be,' Lydia breathed in relief as we walked towards the cafeteria—we had just finished a test in history, one of the few classes I didn't share with Scott or Stiles.

'Much easier.' I agreed, smiling when she linked her arm through mine.

The strawberry blonde and I had gotten a lot more comfortable around each other since I had stood by her when Jackson was being an ass. We hadn't gotten to the stage of hanging out outside of school hours, but it wasn't uncommon for us to be seen together before and after the classes we shared, a development that Stiles was more than happy about. Mainly because Lydia actually acknowledged him now, in-between classes and at lunch.

'Have you got your dress for the formal yet?' She wondered, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

'I'm not going to the formal.' I told her, mock shuddering at the thought of it.

She pulled me to a stop in the middle of the corridor and fixed me with a horrified stare. I simply cocked my brow in silent question.

'What do you mean you're _not_ going?' She almost screeched.

'Dances aren't really my thing,' I shrugged and continued before she could start yelling at me, 'plus I'm working at the clinic and I can't really get out of it seeing as Scott's had the night off for the dance.'

Lydia sighed in annoyance and defeat, closing her eyes as if to compose herself before she opened them suddenly and pulled my arm to start walking again. I did with an amused smile; I hadn't had any girl friends since Cora, so I wasn't used to this kind of reaction when I said I didn't want to go to a dance.

After we'd gotten our lunch we went over to sit with Scott, Stiles and Allison. Stiles immediately perked up when he saw the strawberry blonde behind me and I had to suppress an amused eye-roll at the sight.

'How did your history test go?' Scott asked me after swallowing the food he had been chewing.

'Good. You had any tests today?' I wondered as I opened my water to take a drink.

'Just econ later.' He sighed, nervous for that test as well.

'You'll be fine Scotty, you knew everything when we studied last night. Remember how nervous you were for chemistry and you aced it?' I reassured him, trying not to go full-sister-mode; I figured he'd be embarrassed in front of his girl friend.

'You're right,' he nodded, offering me a grateful smile.

Lydia and Allison started talking about dresses pretty soon after that—apparently they were going shopping later that day and they both wanted a solid idea of what they wanted before they went to save time. Lydia was certain, but Allison was a little unsure. They invited me to come along with them but I had to decline because of work; Lydia let out an annoyed huff and Allison offered a sad smile.

Scott and Stiles were going over the topics in the econ test after lunch and I was just about to join in when my phone buzzed on the table. I bit my lip to hide my smile when I saw who it was.

 _Derek: I am NOT watching High School Musical with you, Stacey._

 _Me: Why not? It's a masterpiece. You already love the music so you're pretty much gaurenteed to love the films._

 _Derek: I never said that and there's more than one?!_

 _Me: Three films of absolute perfection._

 _Derek: No._

 _Me: I will get my way, it would be easier if you just gave in now._

 _Derek: Never._

 _Me: We'll see. How are things going with Peter?_

 _Derek: Fine. He's told me to lay low for now—he's planning on making a move next week on the night of the full moon. He figures the moon will make it easier for him to control you and he might be right._

 _Me: Might be? He definitely is. What are we going to do?_

 _Derek: I don't know yet, but I'll figure out a plan I promise. I won't let Peter manipulate you._

 _Me: Thanks Derek. I appreciate you._

 _Derek: I appreciate you too._

I smiled and slipped my phone back in my pocket before picking up my fork and forking some mash potato. It wasn't until I'd put it in my mouth that I realized everyone at our table was staring at me.

'What?' I asked after I swallowed.

'Who were you texting?' Lydia asked with a knowing smirk.

'My mom,' I shrugged, shoving some more food into my mouth.

'I don't smile at my phone like that when my mother texts.' Allison said in a teasing voice.

I rolled my eyes with a smile, 'she sent me a video of a kitten meowing at it's own reflection. It was cute.'

Allison and Lydia shared a look before letting out a disbelieving 'mmm hmmm.' I shook my head, fighting the blush that wanted to form on my cheeks as I risked a glance at Scott and Stiles. Both were regarding me with suspicious stares but I knew they wouldn't say anything in front of the girls.

The rest of the day flew by and before I knew it I was following Scott and Stiles to lacrosse practice. I didn't pay much attention and used the time to study for the biology final I had the next day. I was pretty confident already, but a little extra studying couldn't hurt. I was so enraptured with what I was doing that when Coach blew his whistle to signal the end of practice I jumped. After laughing at my own paranoia, I packed away my things and headed inside to wait for my brother and best friend in the corridor they would exit out of. Stiles came out first and I frowned in confusion when I didn't see a mop of messy brown hair following after him.

'Where's Scotty?' I asked, resting my head on Stiles' shoulder when he came to lean on the wall next to me.

'Coach wanted to speak to him,' Stiles explained with a sigh.

I tried to listen in with my supernatural hearing, but with multiple guys still in there, the showers running and their heartbeats interfering I didn't catch a word. Thankfully, we weren't kept waiting long and Scott came out of the locker room two minutes later, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

'What's wrong?' I demanded, immediately going to his side and winding my arm around his waist.

'I'm banned from going to the dance.' He murmured softly, his head hung in disappointment.

'What? Why?' Stiles questioned as we started walking towards his Jeep.

'My grades are too low. It was either be benched for the whole of next semester or miss the dance. Coach made the decision for me.' He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

'Scotty, it's fine. We're gonna get you to that dance,' I said, my voice thick with determination.

I knew the main reason he wanted to go to the dance was to protect Allison, but I had also heard the excitement in his voice whenever he mentioned it; he was excited to go to his first dance with a girlfriend. I wasn't going to let that be taken away from him.

'Really?' he asked with a bright smile.

'Absolutely, we're a team dude, we got your back.' Stiles assured him, ruffling his best friend's hair and holding his hands up in surrender when Scott batted him away.

'First things first, you need a tux.' I told him, looking over to Stiles, a silent question on my face.

'I can take you now, you're not working at the clinic tonight are you?' Stiles asked, catching on to what I was getting at.

'I'm supposed to be—,' he started but I cut him off.

'I'll cover for you,' I waved my hand dismissively.

'I don't have any money—,' I interrupted him again.

'I'll lend it to you.' I answered easily, pulling my purse out of my bag and handing him my card, 'you know the pin. Get yourself a tux and get Allison a corsage.'

'Stacey, I can't—,' he cut himself off that time when I leveled him with a glare, 'thank you, I'll pay you back.'

'It's fine.' I kissed his cheek before I clambered into the back of the Jeep.

'Maybe Stiles can actually build up the courage to ask Lydia to the dance if we run into her at the mall,' Scott commented casually, grinning when his best friend glared at him.

'You should go for it. She doesn't have a date yet.' I told him, leaving out Lydia's horror over the fact that no one had asked her. That might have had something to do with me—I had started a rumor that Jackson had told me he would beat the crap out of anyone who asked her and so far it had worked. It perfectly laid the groundwork for Stiles to ask her out, I only hoped he'd do it soon.

'Really?' Stiles sounded shocked and I couldn't blame him—she was one of the most popular girls in school.

'Really,' I confirmed.

The rest of the drive was spent coming up with creative and impossible ways that he could ask her to the dance and actually get her to say yes. I think I had finally managed to convince him to just _ask_ her when he pulled up in front of the clinic.

'You two have fun,' I kissed both of their cheeks and climbed out of the Jeep, 'don't max out my card.' I gave Scott a mock threatening look that made him roll his eyes in amusement.

'I won't. Love you!'

'Love you too!'

I walked into the clinic humming a random tune under my breath. I stashed my bag and jacket behind the reception desk and popped my head into the examination room to greet the veterinarian.

'Hey doc,' I saluted him with a smile.

'Afternoon Stacey,' he returned my smile from where he was sterilizing equipment.

'Scott couldn't make it today, he left buying his tux to a dance to the last minute if you can believe.' I shook my head as if I was shocked and Deaton's smile just grew, 'what do you want me to get started on?'

'Could you feed and water the cats. I already took care of the dogs.' He said, wiping the table down with cloth.

'Sure.' I shrugged and went to complete my task.

After that he asked me to organize the appointment list and ring ahead to confirm people's appointment times. Before I knew it the four hours flew by and Stiles was honking his Jeep outside in greeting.

'I'm gonna take off if that's okay, doc?' I popped my head back into the examination room and he offered me another smile.

'That's fine. See you tomorrow.'

'See you tomorrow!' I waved, grabbing my things and sprinting out to meet my brother and best friend. I noticed two tuxes in the back when I climbed in and I grinned, excited for my brother.

'You're all sorted then?' I smiled and when I noticed Stiles' excitement I grinned, 'do you have a date to the dance by any chance?'

'Yes!' he practically yelled making Scott and I laugh at his enthusiasm.

'I'm happy for you Mechi,' I told him honestly; he shot me a genuine smile as we drove to mine and Scott's house.

 _Friday Night_

I couldn't believe that Deaton had let me leave two hours early—when I had told him that Scott had booked the night off to go to a school dance he was suddenly insisting that I should finish earlier so that I could make it too. I had tried to tell him I hadn't been planning on going, but he wouldn't listen to me and practically ushered me out of the clinic at 6pm. I had walked home, something that I knew would piss off Derek if I told him but I didn't want to bother him, even if there was a rouge alpha who wanted me and my twin to join his psychotic pack. I bit my lip in concern at the reminder that Derek hadn't called me or texted for two days—since we had gotten close we had texted every day at least. I had been trying to brush it off as him not wanting Peter to get suspicious, but what if it was something more than that? What if he was actually in trouble? The concern in my gut was growing by the hour and I decided instead of letting it fester I was going to do something about it. I got home and raced to my room, pausing at my door when I heard Scott and my Mom talking in his room.

'I love her.' Scott admitted softly.

'Have you told her that?' She asked, I could tell she was smiling.

'She knows.' My twin said dismissively and I bit my lip to hold back a laugh when I heard the _thwack_ that indicated he had just been slapped upside the head.

'Come on, she knows? She knows? Listen, dumbass, I'm gonna let you in on a secret that most guys don't even have a clue about you ready?' she asked and continued after pausing for dramatic effect, 'women love words.'

'What?' Scott asked dumbly.

'You need to tell her how you feel,' she said and I smiled as I leaned on my closed bedroom door, 'just say it, say it again, say it differently. Learn how to say it better, learn how to sing it.'

Scott laughed softly as mom continued, 'you know, write it in a poem in a letter attached to flowers. Carve it in a tree, in a sidewalk with cement, tattoo on your arm.'

'Really?' Scott asked eagerly—we had both wanted tattoos for as long as I could remember.

'No. Not really.' I could imagine her shaking her head at that moment, 'just… tell her the truth. Tell her everything and anything you want.'

'Everything?' Scott repeated and I knew he was thinking about him being a werewolf.

'Everything.' She replied easily, I could hear her footsteps making her way out of the room and I quickly slipped into mine before she saw me, 'have a good time, honey.'

'I will and mom? Thank you,' Scott replied.

I made sure that mom was down stairs before I slipped into my twin's room. He was stood in the bathroom, looking at himself in his tux—he had decided on the same one that Stiles had tried on when I went with him, the one that made him look so pale. But with Scott's olive complexion it suited him and the black tie, shirt and blazer made him look handsome.

'You look great, Scotty.' I said honestly, sitting on the end of his bed.

'Thanks Stace.' He smiled, his dimples popping out, 'why aren't you at work?'

'I mentioned you were going to the dance and Deaton practically shoved me out of the door even though I told him I wasn't going.' I rolled my eyes in amusement before my expression turned serious, 'I'm worried about Derek. I think he's been taken.'

'Taken? Why?' Scott asked, sitting beside me and wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

'Because I haven't heard from him since Wednesday and since we've gotten close we've at the very least texted everyday.' I mumbled, my worry for the blue-eyed wolf growing even more as I voiced my fears out loud, 'he hasn't been answering my calls or anything.'

'Maybe Peter was getting suspicious?' he suggested, but I could tell he didn't really believe that either.

'He wouldn't leave me hanging for this long. The Argents are the only ones I can think of being behind this.' I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

'We'll look for him tomorrow, okay?' Scott said, standing after he checked the time on his phone.

'Sure. Have fun tonight,' I kissed his cheek and smiled brightly, 'and mom was right you know? Women love words.'

Scott grinned and gave me a hug before grabbing everything he needed and darting from the house. I went to my bedroom, trying to figure out what to do about Derek. I knew Scott wanted to wait until tomorrow, but I was worried _now_ and worst of all I had nothing to distract me from my concern. If I was careful, I was pretty sure I could save him on my own, I just needed to find out where he was being kept. He wasn't answering his phone, I couldn't track it because I didn't know his username or password… what could I do? That's when it came to me. We were werewolves and how do wolves signal their location to the rest of the pack? They howl.

Determination and hope ran through me, spurring me to get off my bed where I had been lying for god knows how long trying to figure out a strategy. I pulled on my combat boots over my black high-waisted skinny jeans and grabbed my leather jacket to go over my white v neck t-shirt. Once I had my keys and phone I was heading out of the door—I had heard mom leave for work a little while ago so I didn't have to worry about explaining my sudden departure to her. Without a car and not wanting to use Scott's bike, I started running towards the lookout point, figuring that was the best place to get my howl around the town. If he could hear me, he could howl back and I could find him.

It took me about fifteen minutes of continuous running to reach my destination and I was just about to howl when my phone started to vibrate in my pocket. With a roll of my eyes, I pulled it out and frowned when I saw it was my twin calling.

'Scotty? What's wrong?' I asked, sitting down on one of the many rocks around.

'Allison knows I'm a werewolf, her dad cornered me and tried running me over to get me to shift. What am I going to do?' he whispered out, so quietly I had trouble hearing him.

'Calm down, this is something that can be explained and worked out… eventually. What we have to worry about now is them knowing you're one of the betas.' I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

'If they know about me, then chances are they know about you.' Scott said, worry clouding his tone.

'Don't worry about me. We need Derek. If we can defeat Peter then all of this might blow over—the alpha is making werewolves look feral and that's not good for any of us.' I realized, looking over to the twinkling lights in front of me.

'You're right. We need to find him.' My twin was determined and I found myself smiling in response.

'I'm glad you agree, I'm at the lookout point, meet me here will you? I have an idea.' I stood up and prepared myself.

'I'm five minutes away,' he hung up and I pocketed my phone.

I took a deep breath and after I bought my werewolf face forward, I howled. The sound was loud and long and I could have sworn I heard loose pebbles rattling around me. I sat back down and waited anxiously, when my twin joined me a few minutes later I could tell that he was impressed, but he didn't get a chance to express it, because someone howled back. It was Derek, and we were going to find him.

 **Here's chapter eleven! I rewrote it after I realized how abrupt and all over the place it was—thank you Rbenham2 for your constructive criticism. I hope this chapter flows a bit better—I really enjoyed writing it and adding to it.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **Xoxo**

 **-VampireGirl1797**

hermosa, dulce niña= beautiful, sweet girl

eres la hermosa, mi querida madre= you are beautiful, my dear mother


	11. Code Breaker

Chapter Eleven

'It worked.' I almost squealed with relief after the howl died out.

'I'm glad you thought of it.' Scott told me, standing as I pulled on his arm.

We started to run in the direction the howl had come from, I tried not to run too fast in my eagerness to get to Derek—the need to make sure he was okay was strong but I didn't want to get split up from my twin. We both exchanged a slightly confused look when we arrived at the Hale property and I was about to panic that we had somehow gone in the wrong direction when Scott grabbed my arm and pointed to his ear in explanation when I looked over to him. I frowned, but did as he instructed and I almost cried with relief when I heard another heartbeat coming from below us. We started to look around for a way that would allow us to access underneath the house after about ten minutes of looking, Scott pointed out a circular tunnel blanketed with grass to keep it hidden. We made our way over to it and shared a look of recognition when we picked up Derek's scent. I pulled open the bars and held the gate open for Scott to walk through first before gently closing it behind me. My twin went to make his way down the tunnel but I stopped him with a hand on his arm.

'You should wait here and keep watch.' I whispered, continuing when he went to protest, 'if any of the hunters come back you can come and warn us and give us all enough time to hide.'

'What if someone's already in there?' Scott whispered back.

'There's only one heartbeat.' I told him confidently, 'I won't be long, just come and find me if any of the hunters show up. Stay hidden and be careful.'

'I will. You too,' we shared a hug before I parted ways with him.

I followed both the sound of Derek's heartbeat and his scent through the tunnel, trying not to cringe at the other sounds invading my ears, like the sounds of rats, the flickering of the lights or the ominous whooshing of the wind through the trees from above. Eventually I reached a huge metal door and I knew with every fiber of my being that Derek was in there. I summoned all my strength and pulled the door open with enough force to send it to the other side of the wall with a huge bang.

'That wasn't as heavy as I thought it was going to be.' I mumbled, biting my lip as I gently pulled the door to close. My head whipped around when I heard the shocked voice of Derek Hale.

'Stacey?' he breathed, almost as if he couldn't believe I was there; I felt my heartbeat pick up as I was so overcome with relief to see him in one piece.

'The one and only,' I offered him a cheeky grin that made him chuckle as I rushed over to where he was tied up.

I felt my relief turn into pure outrage at the sight before me. He was strung up onto a metal grid that appeared to be attached to some wiring—it didn't take a genius to figure out what they had been doing to him. It was a good job that whoever had been doing this to him—my money was on Kate Argent—wasn't there in that moment because it would have taken all of her fire power to stop me from ripping her apart. With fury coursing through my veins, it wasn't hard to summon the strength needed to break his bindings and set him free. Thankfully I had supernatural reflexes otherwise I might not have caught him before he fell to the floor. I circled my arm around his waist and held onto the hand that was resting on my shoulders.

'What can I do?' I asked him quietly, bringing a hand to the side of his face to get him to look at me.

I knew he hated people seeing him vulnerable, but for whatever reason he didn't care as much when it was I. Maybe because he knew I would never use it against him, or because he had seen me vulnerable. All I knew was that I just wanted to help in whatever way I could—if it was doable I would have taken all of his pain so he didn't have to suffer but that just wasn't possible.

'We need to get out of here before—,' he cut off and for a moment I was worried he was about to pass out, that was when I noticed the black veins highlighted on his face that seemed to be travelling into my hand and up my arm—I nearly dropped him in shock.

'What the—,' I frowned, staring at my arm and wondering what the hell had just happened.

'You took some of my pain.' He explained, giving me a look that was filled with gratitude and another emotion that I couldn't identify.

'I did? Good.' I smiled, happy to have made him a little more comfortable, I would address the fact that we could even take peoples pain later when the threat of danger wasn't so imminent, 'we should go before whoever kidnapped you comes back.'

'Good idea.' He nodded, gently moving away from me to the table where the control panel for the grid he had been strapped to was. He pulled on his shirt, then is jacket before grabbing his phone, wallet and keys.

We were about to leave but I paused, a thought occurring to me, 'who did this to you?' I already had a pretty good idea, but I wanted to know for sure.

Derek looked over to me, probably seeing straight through my forced casual tone as I offered him support to help him walk again. It took him a minute to answer me and I assumed he was debating whether or not he should tell me. Eventually he did, 'It was the Argents, more specifically Kate. She figured out that Scott was one of the betas, and she's pretty sure you're the other one.'

'Yeah they tested Scott at the dance, got her to wolf out in front of Allison.' I shook my head in disgust, angered on my twin's behalf, 'but it sure took her long enough,' I rolled my eyes, pushing down my worry and fury, 'she suspected Jackson and Stiles for god's sake, she's not the brightest bulb in the box, I'm proud of her for putting the pieces together.'

Derek snorted in amusement before asking in a soft voice, 'what day is it?'

'Friday,' I answered just as quietly, guiltily biting my lip as I led him through the tunnel, 'I would have come looking sooner but I thought you were just ignoring me because Peter was getting suspicious.'

'It's fine, I get it.' He assured me, squeezing my shoulders with the arm that was resting there comfortingly.

'How did they get you?' I asked, controlling my voice so my resentment didn't come through.

'I was getting gas, I'd just put the pump in my tank and the next thing I know is I'm being injected with something and I woke up here.' He sighed, sounding like he was blaming himself.

'Why would she take you?' I wondered, it didn't make any sense.

'I think she was planning on exposing the supernatural to her niece. I heard her on the phone with her a few times, but every time Kate asked her to meet, Allison blew her off because she was busy with either you, Stiles or Scott.' He sounded pleased that Kate hadn't gotten her way and honestly, I was too.

Ever since Peter had started going after those closest to us we had been on constant watch. That meant taking shifts to keep an eye on Allison, Jackson and our Mom. So far we had managed pretty well and we hadn't heard from Peter since Saturday so I was calling it a win.

'Serves her right, psychotic bitch,' I muttered, smiling when I heard Derek's soft chuckle.

We reached the end of the tunnel and met up with Scott. I saw his expression cloud with relief when he saw that we were okay, only to transform into concern when he saw how much support Derek needed.

'Dude are you okay?' Scott asked, frowning at his appearance.

'I will be,' Derek glared but he was only able to hold it for a moment, 'I just need to heal.'

'We should get going.' I commented, moving to step forward but Scott held out an arm to stop me.

'What is it?' Derek asked, probably wondering what the hold up was.

'There are two heartbeats out there. They showed up a minute or two before you two did.' Scott explained, looking between Derek and I as if he wanted orders on what to do.

Derek's eyes paled with fear and concern but he covered it up quickly and took a breath with his eyes closed. I wondered what he was doing and after a moment it hit me—he was trying to pick up a scent. His eyes were only shut for a moment and when he opened them again they were an electric blue.

'One of them is Kate, I recognize the scent.' He informed me.

'Wonderful.' I said sarcastically, 'what are we gonna do?'

He pulled up off me and I looked over to see him fully transformed. I was prepared to catch him but he was clearly channeling his rage and concern into strength at that moment because he didn't waver once.

'We fight,' He growled, pushing open the gate and stepping out with a confident stride.

I rolled my eyes and shared a look with my twin, but we followed a few paces behind him, prepared to offer him backup should he need it. We walked up the hill to stand on the clearing in front of his house, my eyes widened when I heard something swooshing through the air and I saw an arrow soaring through the air, aiming for Derek. I didn't even have to think about it—I dived on top of the blue-eyed wolf, knocking him out of the weapon's path.

'Unlucky,' Kate said, sounding genuinely disappointed.

I rolled off Derek when I heard the sound of another arrow being loaded and narrowed my eyes when I saw who was firing them. I felt Scott come to stand beside me, but when I looked over to him his expression was one of complete and utter betrayal, which just fueled my anger even more.

'Allison?' I rolled my eyes and ran a hand through my hair as I prepared myself to catch all the arrows she aimed my way—Derek was doing the same, I discretely stood in front of Scott seeing as he was frozen in disbelief, 'what the hell are you doing?'

'You both lied to me.' She said simply.

'Gee, I wonder why? Why wouldn't we tell you, a girl who comes from a family of _werewolf_ hunters that _we_ are werewolves? I'll give you a second to think about that because it is a toughie!' I shouted sarcastically.

My words made Allison hesitate, much to Kate's annoyance, and before her aunt could manipulate her niece any further she dropped her bow and arrow all together, fixing her aunt with a glare.

'You said they didn't tell me because they wanted to kill me! You said they wanted to hurt me like the alpha hurt Lydia!' Allison screeched.

I frowned in confusion—what had happened to Lydia? I squelched down my worry for the strawberry blonde, knowing I couldn't afford to be distracted in that moment. I shared a look with Derek and Scott before my twin managed to find his voice.

'Allison,' he said, drawing the huntresses attention, 'I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I wanted to, but I knew that your family wouldn't accept me and I didn't know how involved you were with your family's business.'

He paused to look over to the stunning brunette and he continued, encouraged by the lack of hatred and anger in her expression.

'I just want you to know, everything I did was to protect you. To keep you safe.' He declared, his voice ringing with sincerity. I took his hand in mine to silently offer him my support. He squeezed me gratefully but didn't take his attention off his love.

'I believe you.' Allison whispered, and before they could run into each other's arms our attention was drawn to the sound of a chamber clicking into place.

I looked over and saw Kate aiming her gun at my brother and I felt my blood turn to ice; I was just about to dive on top of Scott when a cold voice cut across the night air and froze everyone in place.

'Put the gun down, Kate.' Chris said, his own gun was steadily pointed at his sister.

Kate regarded her brother for a moment and after deciding that he wasn't being serious she scoffed and looked back over to us. I bit back a growl when she aimed her gun at me this time. I saw Derek and Scott take a small step forward protectively, which seemed to amuse the psychotic blonde. Before she could taunt us, Chris' voice cut across the cool night air, once again drawing her attention.

'Put it down. I know what you did.' He said gravely, looking disgusted with her.

'I did what I was told.' She insisted, no remorse present in her voice.

When I realized what they were talking about, I stepped closer to Derek, sliding my hand into his to offer him some comfort. He squeezed my hand gratefully as we continued to watch what was happening.

'No one told you to burn down a house full of innocent people. There were children inside that house, Kate.' He told her, his blue eyes shining with hatred, 'look at you, holding a gun to a sixteen year old with no proof she's spilled innocent blood. We go by the code. Nous chassons ceux qui nous chassent.'

'We hunt those who hunt us.' Allison translated in a whisper.

'Put it down.' Chris yelled, his voice as cold as ice.

Kate's gun moved from me and back over to my brother. I narrowed my eyes and moved Scott so that he was stood behind me. I had to bite my lip to hold in a smartass comment that probably would have resulted in me getting shot when she sent me a smirk. I jumped when Chris shot a warning shot over Kate's head, missing her by inches. Derek squeezed the hand he was still holding a little tighter in an attempt to calm me.

'Put it down. Before I put you down.' He said, and I didn't doubt his words for one second.

Kate's eyes widened in shock and she finally complied with her brother and lowered her arm. I breathed in relief when I saw Kate's finger move off the trigger. I was just about to make a run for it with Scott and Derek when the sound of the door to the Hale house creaking open distracted me.

'What is that?' Allison whispered and I felt my stomach drop to my feet—there was only one person that it could be.

'The alpha.' Scott and I said at the same time.

I squeezed Derek's hand one last time, and my twin's, before letting them both go and summoning my werewolf face forward. It was time.

Peter moved too fast for anyone's eyes to follow, even mine with my supernatural eyesight. I was helpless to watch as people started falling down around me. First it was Chris, then Scott, then Derek and then Allison. I was glancing around frantically, still trying to find him when I felt something tear at the back of my thighs, sending me tumbling to the ground as I bit back a scream of pain. I leaned up on my elbows when I noticed that Kate was the only one left standing.

'Come on!' She shouted, loading her gun and sounding far too confident.

Sure enough, Peter appeared almost out of nowhere and twisted her wrist with a sadistic smile on his face. Kate gasped in pain and her gun fell to the ground with a thud. I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn't co-operate and I was helpless to watch as Peter dragged her into the house. I saw Allison get up and before she could chase after them I gestured for her to come and help me. She hesitated for a moment, glancing over to the house and frowning in concern, but a second later she made up her mind and raced over to me. I sighed in relief as I felt the blood rushing through my legs as I got to my feet—it allowed the wounds to heal faster and the pain subsided to a dull ache pretty quickly. I spared Derek and Scott a glance; both of them were unconscious so with a sigh I followed Allison into the house. I pulled her to a stop when I saw Peter standing in the middle of the room to our left, Kate's back against his chest as he held his claws to her throat.

'She really is beautiful, Kate.' Peter said in a patronizing tone that sent a shiver of apprehension down my spine.

I stepped in front of Allison, keeping her safely behind me and away from Peter's stare.

'Let her go.' I said, drawing his attention back to me.

'Stacey,' he tutted, giving me an amused look, 'you know I'm not going to do that.'

'Well it was worth a try. But you know that whether you kill her or not, you're not leaving here alive.' My eyes flashed and Peter's flashed in response.

'Are you threatening me?' He asked, sounding a mixture of amused and enraged.

'I'm making an educated guess seeing as even without Kate there will still be two hunters and three werewolves who want you dead.' I told him, my tone making it sound obvious.

He threw back his head and laughed, I took that moment to discretely push Allison towards the door and gesturing for her to wake up the others. By the time Peter composed himself, she was gone.

'See _that_ is why I bit you, Stacey.' He smiled and it was all teeth.

'I thought it was random?' I frowned, wondering how he could have possibly planned it.

'No, no, no, you see I needed some beta's to add to my strength and, yes, it was pure luck that you were in the woods that night. I recognized you immediately, your laugh, your scent and your smile. Your brother was a means to add to my power, but you, Stacey McCall, were a means to add to my _strength._ ' He moved to step forward but seemed to remember he was still holding Kate, without flinching he slashed open her throat with this claws and threw her carelessly to the side.

I stepped backwards as he made his way over to me, my heart beating wildly in my chest—I was terrified because I knew I couldn't fight him on my own. But I refused to let him see that so I squared my shoulders and deliberately wiped any trace of fear off my face. I paused when I stepped back against the staircase—I was trapped.

'Even when you were a little girl you were exceptionally clever, loyal and cunning. All qualities I knew would make you a good beta.' He caressed the side of my face and I resisted the urge to try and push him off me because I knew I wouldn't be a match for his strength, 'and I was right.'

'Maybe you were right about me making a good beta, but you were wrong to think you would ever be a good alpha.' I told him honestly, without thinking I bought my knee up to his groin with as much force as I could summon. I was relieved when he keeled over and I took the opportunity to kick him in his side and send him flying through the dry wall into the other room. He laughed manically, standing up straight and giving me a look that was a mixture of angry and impressed.

I bought my werewolf face forward, knowing that this was going to get worse before it got better. He lunged at me, aiming a punch to my side that I skillfully dodged whilst landing an elbow to the side of his head. I danced around him, kicking him in the back of his leg and causing him to stumble forward. I went to kick him again but he span around and caught my foot, throwing me backwards and making me fall onto my back with a thud. I ignored the pain exploding in my spine and moved to get up off the floor but Peter held me down with his hand on my shoulder effortlessly.

'It's your last chance, Stacey; you're either with me or against me. Join me.' Peter said, his face a mere inch away from mine.

'No way in hell,' I growled, trying again to push him off me, but it was useless.

'Wrong choice.' Peter said, his claws digging into my shoulder and slashing across my collarbone.

I screamed from the pain, increasing my efforts to push him away and thankfully in the next second he was off me. But not due to my own struggles—Derek had thrown him off with enough force to send him to the wall on the opposite end of the house. He and Scott offered me a hand up, both wearing concerned expressions.

'I'll heal.' I assured them; the pain had already subsided into a dull ache and I could feel my skin knitting back together.

Before anything else could be said, Peter stepped calmly back into the room and we all circled him, each of us fully transformed. Derek lunged first, but Peter sent him flying backwards before he could even land a punch. I moved next, ducking to avoid a blow and swiping my claws out to slash open his thigh. He let out an enraged roar before kicking me in the abdomen, knocking the wind out of me and rendering me incapable of breathing for a moment. Scott managed to land a punch to the alpha's jaw that freakily made his face shift in between his wolf face and his actual face. I leapt back to my feet when I got my breath back, and all of us advanced forward and started hitting him in the face, hard enough to make him transform, if only briefly. Clearly annoyed, Peter tossed Derek back with enough force to render him unconscious before throwing Scott and I through the front window, leading us to land with a thud in the clearing.

I got to my feet immediately and helped my twin up as we prepared for what was going to come out of the door. I glanced over and noticed that Chris was finally awake and Allison was ready to fire with her crossbow.

My attention snapped back to the house as Peter exited, his eyes glowing a bloody red and his fangs glinting in the moonlight. I gulped and prepared to have my ass kicked even more but before anyone could move, a car came into the clearing, which I recognized as Jackson's Porsche. Before I could wonder what the hell he was doing here, Stiles jumped out of the car and threw a flask of something at the alpha, but Peter caught it effortlessly and growled out a laugh for his efforts.

'Allison!' Scott shouted, gesturing for the huntress to do something, which she did. In the next second an arrow pierced the flask and set the alpha's arm and half of its torso on fire. Jackson threw another flask, after a moments hesitation, and set the rest of its body alight with flames. Peter roared in panic and looked over to me, I knew my face was blank because I didn't know how to feel about what was happening in that moment. Before I could comprehend it, the alpha lunged for me, but Scott landed a kick that sent him tumbling in the opposite direction. He stumbled and eventually transformed back into his human self and fell on the dead leaves, panting and gasping for breath. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy—he must have been relieving the fire in that moment. But I squashed down my concern, knowing he didn't deserve it.

I startled when Scott moved away from me and looked over just in time to see Allison kiss my twin passionately. Despite the situation I couldn't stop the happy smile that broke out across my lips—Scott deserved to get the girl.

'Why did you do that?' Scott asked, sounding amazed.

'Because I love you.' She told him with a soft smile that my twin returned.

I was about to head into the house to see if Derek was okay when the man himself walked out, but he didn't look over to us, his attention was solely focused on Peter who was struggling for breath. He stood over him and I was confused as to what he could possibly be doing when I saw him raise his hand in the air, his claws protruding from the ends of his fingers.

'Derek! Wait!' My twin shouted, 'you said the cure was to kill the one that bit you. I can't be what I am _and_ be with her. What am I supposed to do?'

I frowned—when had Derek told Scott there was a cure? Why hadn't either of them told me?

'He's already decided. I can _smell_ it on you.' Peter rasped out with a sneer.

Derek raised his hand again and didn't let my twin's shouts of protest stop him this time. Peter went still as his nephew slashed his throat, his heart stopped and so did his breath. Derek turned, his eyes flashing red as he growled.

'I'm the alpha now.'

 _Later that night._

I threw my keys onto the table by the door with a tired sigh, ready to just climb into bed. We had been at the Hale house for a little over an hour, working out how we were going to reveal this to the police. It took a while but eventually Argent took Allison's necklace and put it on Kate after hearing from Stiles that the Sherriff was looking for the person wearing it. Derek had said he would bury Peter's body and he left without a backwards glance. I assumed being around Chris made him nervous, which I couldn't blame him for. After that Scott, Stiles and I squeezed into Jackson's car—barely—and he took us all home. Stiles had filled us in on what had happened at the dance—apparently Peter had been there and he had bitten Lydia in an attempt to get Stiles to help him find Derek. When the alpha realized that our hyperactive friend didn't know where he was—he hadn't even known he was missing—he had left just as I had howled for Derek. Peter had left and Stiles had gone running into the dance for help and after an ambulance took Lydia away, Stiles and Jackson headed to the hospital, where they were cornered by Chris over where Scott and I were. Stiles had denied knowing anything but apparently Jackson choked and they ended up being interrogated until Stiles revealed Kate's dirty little secret. That was when Chris had left and found is in the clearing.

I asked Stiles about where he had gotten the firepower from and he sheepishly admitted that he saw Lydia reading about a self-igniting Molotov cocktail once in chemistry and had decided to look it up himself. He was definitely hopelessly in love with that girl. Stiles was dropped off first, Scott asked to be dropped off at Allison's and I'd been dropped off last. As soon as we were alone in the car, I had decided to address the elephant present, I frowned in concern as I remembered the conversation that had taken place just minutes ago.

' _You're going to ask Derek for the bite aren't you?' I asked knowingly as we pulled away from Allison's house._

' _I-I,' he stumbled but I cut him off._

' _Don't try and lie to me Jackson, I can hear your heart beat so it's pointless.' I told him with an amused look._

' _Fine. Yes, I'm going to ask Derek for the bite.' He admitted, his hands tightening on the steering wheel._

' _Okay.'_

' _Okay? You're not going to try and talk me out of it?' Jackson asked incredulously._

' _It's your choice and you're convinced it's what you want so nothing I say will be able to talk you out of it.' I shrugged—if Jackson wanted the bite and Derek wanted to give it to him, there was nothing I could do about it, 'you should know, there is a chance your body will reject the bite and you could die.'_

' _Thanks for the warning.' He muttered, offering me a smile that was genuine, I returned it and we fell into a comfortable silence for the rest of the journey._

It was now nearing two in the morning and I was close to being dead on my feet. I climbed the stairs with a tired sigh, desperate to fall into a dreamless slumber and forget about everything for the next nine hours. I was volunteering at the hospital from 12 until 8 tomorrow, so that left me with plenty of time to get some rest. I stumbled through my bedroom door and nearly screamed when I saw Derek sitting on the end of my bed.

'Derek, a little warning would have been nice.' I huffed, running a hand through my hair and stumbling over to my drawers to pull out some pyjamas.

'You're not mad at me?' He asked, his tone was careful, almost as if he was afraid to be hopeful.

'Why would I be?' I frowned, stepping into the bathroom to change.

'Because I took away your only chance of being cured.' He said as if it was obvious.

'Well I didn't know that chance existed until a few hours ago and honestly I don't think I would have taken it—I like being a werewolf.' I shrugged, throwing my dirty clothes into my hamper and stepping back out into my room.

'I'm glad.' A small smile played on his lips.

'Though I am a little pissed that no one even told me about it.' I gave him a pointed look that made him duck his head to avoid my stare.

'I-I don't know why I didn't tell you,' he mumbled, choosing his words carefully. He seemed to be deliberating whether to tell me the truth or not and when he looked up to meet my gaze again, the sincerity in his eyes took my breath away, 'I was afraid that if you weren't a wolf anymore that you wouldn't need me.'

'Derek, that's crazy,' I told him, sitting next to him on the foot of my bed and taking his hand in mine, 'you're a part of my life now, no matter what, you're not getting rid of me.' My tone turned teasing at the end in an attempt to lighten the mood.

He chuckled a little before he murmured, 'I'm glad.'

I squeezed his hand before letting go and climbing into my side of the bed.

'Are you staying?' I yawned, wiggling to get comfortable.

'Sure.' Derek said, I heard the sounds of his clothes hitting the floor and him locking my door and turning off my light before he climbed underneath the sheets with me. I immediately snuggled up to him, my head resting on his chest, my arm around his waist and my leg thrown over his.

'You're always warm.' I mumbled against his chest, silently telling my heart to calm down.

'So you like to tell me.' He said and I could have sworn I heard a smile in his voice.

'Are you okay?' I asked, fighting back a yawn that threatened to escape, 'you lost your uncle and Kate died too.'

'My uncle died when I lost him in that fire and as for Kate, I haven't cared about her for a long time.' He told me, his voice soft with an emotion I couldn't identify.

'Am I a terrible person if I say that I'm glad she's dead?' I wondered, glad that my face was on his chest so I didn't have to see the disgust in his eyes.

'Not at all. It makes you human to want justice for what she did.' He assured me, running his hand through my hair comfortingly.

We fell into a comfortable silence and with Derek stroking my hair and the sound of his steady heartbeat underneath me, it didn't take me long to fall asleep.

 **Wow, can't believe this season's over so soon! I'm looking forward to writing the next one, but I think I'm gonna add a few more chapters that take place over winter break before I get on with season two. I hope that's okay with you guys :)**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**

 **Until next time**

 **Xoxo**

 **-VampireGirl1797**

 **I've changed this one too, this one isn't as drastic but I hope it flows better now. Thanks again to** **Rbenham2 for the constructive criticism, I really appreciate it :) Let me know what you think of the updates!**

 **Xoxo**


	12. Christmas Is In The Air Part One

Chapter twelve—Christmas is in the Air.

I pulled into the parking space and breathed out a sigh of relief when I saw that I wasn't late for my shift. Mom had gotten a ride in with her friend at seven this morning so that I could take the car for my volunteer shift that started at ten—we were both finishing at seven so she could get a ride home with me. I hastily climbed out of the car bringing my two servings of meatloaf I had bought for my mom and I—she had forgotten hers earlier. I slung the bag over my shoulder, locked the car and pulled my hair up into a ponytail as I walked through the entrance. I had time to stash my stuff behind the desk before relieving the current receptionist—she had been on for twelve hours and was more than ready to get home.

'Thanks, Stacey,' Janice said, looking visibly exhausted, 'I'm gonna go home, shove a sandwich down my throat and sleep.'

'I don't blame you, has it been busy?' I asked knowingly.

'When isn't it?' she let out a little laugh as she gathered her things, 'see you tomorrow?'

'No, it'll be next week now. I'm off this weekend.' I smiled, offering her a little wave and ignoring her surprised look before turning to the desk and answering the phone when it started to ring.

'Hello Beacon Hills Memorial, how can I help?'

The day soon flew by with answering phones, calming patients, overseeing operations and organising appointments. Before I knew it my mom and I were making our way out of the door after saying goodbye to the nurses and doctors still on shift.

'That was a long one,' mom sighed, climbing into the passenger seat with a sigh.

'It sure was. It went fast though.' I smiled, pulling my hair free from the hair tie and stashing it around my wrist.

'Are you hungry?' she asked absentmindedly—we had the meatloaf around two so it was a late lunch, really.

'Not really,' I lied, starting the ignition and starting the drive home. I was hungry but if I stopped for dinner I would be late for my shift at the clinic.

'Liar.' I could see her shaking her head from the corner of my eye.

'I'll grab something at the clinic,' I promised, indicating to turn down our street.

'Make sure you do. You can't keep doing this, Stacey.' She lightly scolded me and I just made a sound of acknowledgement in response.

'You go and get some sleep, I'll be home around eleven.' I said, leaning forward and kissing her cheek.

'Love you.' She said before climbing from the car. I returned the sentiment and waited until she was inside the house safely before I drove away.

I hummed absentmindedly while I drove—the radio was broken so I was used to supplying my own tunes when I drove my mom's car. It was a week after everything that went down with Peter and life was running as usual. I was putting in extra hours at the hospital in the weekdays as well as working at the clinic in the evening. I was mainly doing that that because I had to ask for this weekend off—Saturday was the night of the full moon and to say I was anxious over what was going to happen was an understatement. Stiles had volunteered to help me seeing as Scott was pretty confident he had it under control, but I just had his expression when I had almost attacked him on repeat in my mind. So I'd declined his offer and asked the new alpha if he would give me a hand, thankfully he said he didn't mind helping which made me a little less tense over the whole thing.

To ease my nerves I kept thinking about Christmas—it was next Thursday and I couldn't be more excited. I had three days off from the animal clinic and volunteering—my supervisor had told me he wouldn't have any teenager who wasn't getting paid volunteering over the holidays and I definitely wasn't going to complain about it. Mom also had the same days off—she had worked them for however many years running and Scott and I were excited to actually spend Christmas with her. I had gotten most of my presents I just needed to get a few more things for Scott, Stiles and Derek; I already had an idea of what to get them, the only trouble was finding the time. If I wasn't working I was reading or volunteering. Hopefully I could go on Sunday if I wasn't feeling too worn out after the full moon.

I pulled into a free space at the clinic and went inside, humming Christmas carols under my breath. Deaton was looking pretty flustered behind the desk—Scott finished at six so this last hour Deaton had to run everything on his own.

'Stacey! Thank god, could you please go and get Snowflake from the kennel and prepare the documents? I have a Doberman I need to vaccinate.' Deaton said with a kind smile.

'Sure thing doc.' I said, moving to follow his instructions.

For whatever reason, Christmas was a busy time of year for vaccination boosters. Maybe it was the season to be spent with loved ones that reminded people they needed to get their pets vaccinated. Either way, we were busy right up until closing time and we even had a few people who needed to stay behind because we hadn't had the time to get around to them yet.

'Sorry to keep you waiting,' I said with an apologetic smile to the girl who was sat with a cat carrier. She had her blonde curly hair pulled back from her face and when she looked up I offered her a genuine smile when I recognised her.

'Erica!' I said brightly, leading her back to the examination room, 'I didn't see you there, sorry it's been _so_ busy.'

'I noticed, it's fine don't worry I don't mind the wait.' She smiled warmly.

I had gotten to know Erica from her visits to the hospital because of her epilepsy. Before that I hadn't even known we went to the same school—she liked to be invisible and until I had met her she had done a good job at it. Now I sought her out at school and didn't hesitate to talk to her—she was super shy but also sweet, funny and kind. I just wished she saw that herself.

'Are you excited for Christmas?' I asked her—it was a conversational question that I had asked multiple patients to fill the awkward silence while Deaton and I worked, but this time I actually found myself paying attention to the answer.

'I will be as soon as I have all of my presents.' Erica smiled slightly.

'I hear that. I still have a few things I need to buy too.' I handed Deaton the injection for her cat, Simba and an idea popped into my head, 'are you free Sunday?'

'Ugh… yeah I think so.' She said, her concerned gaze on her cat as she watched Deaton inject the needle. I placed my hand on her arm to bring her gaze back to mine.

'Do you want to go shopping?' I asked, an excited smile playing on my lips—I only ever got excited about shopping at Christmas.

'Sure,' Erica grinned, looking a mixture of surprised and thrilled, 'I can drive if you want?'

'That would be great. Pick me up at one?' I suggested as I gently put Simba back into his carrier and updated his paperwork.

'I'll see you then.' She accepted her cat and turned to leave with a happy smile that I returned—she had already paid before we came in, it saved time in the long run.

'It's nice to see you making plans,' Deaton commented—just like my mom he was always telling me I needed to act more like a teenager.

'Yeah, I'm off Sunday so I figured I may as well make the most of it.' I shrugged, disposing of the needle and sterilising the table ready for our last patient.

'I'm surprised you're not volunteering,' Deaton said and I frowned over to him when his tone indicated he knew something I didn't.

'Gotta get the Christmas shopping done sometime.' I laughed but it was forced and he could tell.

'Are you working Saturday?' he asked in that same knowing tone.

'Nope.' I said lightly, avoiding his gaze, 'I'll go and get the next patient.'

Deaton didn't reply but he didn't need to—he knew. He knew that I was a werewolf, I could feel it, but I didn't think he would out right say it. I wondered if Scott knew anything because the chances were that if he knew about me, he knew about my twin.

'Hi, sorry you've been waiting so long.' I said politely, gesturing for him to follow me through without actually looking at him—my head was swarmed with questions.

How did he know? Was he like the Argents? A hunter? Was he going to try and kill me? What should I do? What if I was wrong and he didn't actually know? I couldn't confront him on the off chance that I was wrong. I would just have to be alert around him and continue as normal. Deaton had never been anything but kind and calm in the past year that I had known him, I had no reason to believe he wanted to hurt me and until I had one I was going to assume he wouldn't.

'That's fine, it didn't seem that long watching Netflix on my phone.' The voice replied and I looked up with a start when I recognised it.

'Boyd! Sorry,' I shook my head, shaking my thoughts away, 'it's been a busy day, my head's all over the place.'

'You do look stressed. You work too much, Stacey. This is supposed to be your winter break,' he reminded me.

'Yeah, I know.' I sighed, not even bothering to argue with him, but not working wasn't an option, 'the things we do for a good college application, huh?'

'You're looking at collages?' his eyes practically bugged out of his head as he placed his Alsatian on the examination table with ease.

'Of course,' I shrugged, pulling on a fresh pair of gloves after washing my hands, 'I need to find one good for nursing that's reasonably close to home. I like to do research before I make a decision.'

'How much research do you need?' he wondered, watching me as I pulled out the needle and released the cap before handing it to Deaton.

'Enough to be sure,' I smiled at his incredulous expression before leading the conversation onto a new topic, 'did you finish the book?'

I saw Boyd at school pretty often too and I even sat with him at lunch when Scott and Stiles decided to practice, or if they had lunch a different hour to me. We often sat in companionable silence and read—eventually we had gotten to the point of asking how the book was and offering to trade when we were finished. Before we broke up for break we had traded—I had given him Wuthering Heights and he had given me Of Mice and Men.

'Almost. I'm really enjoying it so far, plenty of gothic images.' He said with a smile and I could tell he was being honest.

'Yeah it's one of my favourites.' I returned his grin before saying, 'I finished Of Mice and Men and you were right, I really liked it, even if it did make me cry.'

'You cried?' Boyd asked in amusement.

'He shoots his best friend, of course I cried.' I exclaimed, ignoring both Deaton and Boyd's amusement as I threw the needle away into the appropriate bin. I pulled off my gloves and updated Sheba's paperwork, when I turned around Boyd already had Sheba off the table and ready to leave.

'See you at school,' Boyd offered me a little wave.

'Have a good Christmas!' I said brightly, following him to the door.

'You too,' he shook his head at my enthusiasm before he left.

I switched the sign to closed and locked the door before heading into the back to help Deaton clean up. The silence didn't last long as the thoughts I had had before we saw to Boyd entered my mind again.

'We never talked about what happened.' I said after clearing my throat, referring to the incident at the high school.

'No we didn't.' He nodded, crossing his arms over his chest.

'So are we? Going to talk about it?' my voice was small and I found myself holding my breath nervously.

'So what are you thinking? A dollar an hour?' He said and I felt my breath leave me as I frowned in confusion.

'A dollar?' I parroted, not understanding.

'You're right. A dollar fifty extra an hour, for you and Scott.' He smiled, holding out his hand.

I shook it in a muddled daze and headed to the kennels to check on the dogs and then the cats. Either he was playing dumb and didn't want to talk about him being confused for the alpha or he genuinely didn't know what I was talking about. I was pretty sure it was the former, but I agreed with my earlier decision: until he gave me a reason not to, I was going to trust him. I made sure the animals had enough food and water to see them through the night and gave the correct animals the correct medication. By the time I was done, it was 10:30pm and I was grabbing my bag from behind the reception with a yawn.

'See you on Monday doc,' I yelled out.

'See you Stacey!' he replied and I let myself out of the clinic, locking the door behind me.

I was about to start home when I thought I'd check my phone seeing as I hadn't had a chance to look at it all day.

 _Scott: What have you got mom for Christmas? Do you have any ideas? I have no idea what to buy her._

 _Me: Talk when I get home._

 _Stiles: Do you wanna go on a mission with me? If you're not too tired—we're meant to be going on a mission to take down a hydra and I need another level twenty player._

 _Me: Sure, I'll text you when I get home._

 _Stiles: Sweet._

 _Derek: I'll pick you up at 11 tomorrow morning, just encase the moon affects you during the day like it did last time. Where I'm staying is secluded so it should help a little._

 _Me: Okay, I'll see you then._

I sighed and threw my phone into the cup holder before pulling on my seatbelt. I started the engine, turned on the lights and started to drive, fighting back a yawn. I idly wondered if I would be alert enough to do the mission with Stiles but figured I'd just have a cup of coffee to wake me up. For the past few years Stiles and I had gotten into an online group that battled mythical creatures. It had started as two bored teens needing something to do while Scott was practicing for lacrosse—back then Stiles hadn't really been into the sport—and we had got addicted and stuck to it. We often did missions together and we made a good team. It was our thing seeing as Scott had dismissed it after one game, mainly because he sucked at it and didn't want to put in the effort to get better.

I pulled into the drive, relieved to be home—I could practically hear my bed calling my name but I ignored it and went into the kitchen to make some coffee. While that was brewing I fixed mom a couple of sandwiches and a chicken salad for work tomorrow, putting it in the fridge when I was finished and leaving her a note to tell her where it was. I took a mug out of the cupboard, added the coffee and creamer before shuffling upstairs. When I noticed that my twin's light was still on, I popped into his room.

'Hey Scotty,' I yawned, sitting on the end of his bed to face where he sat at his desk.

'Hey,' he spun around and frowned when he took in my appearance, 'you look exhausted.'

'The words every girl wants to hear,' I muttered sarcastically.

He grimaced apologetically but I just waved him off, knowing he was right.

'Why are you drinking coffee?'

'I'm doing a mission with Stiles in a little bit and I need to be awake or we'll get eaten alive by the hydra,' I explained.

'Right,' Scott said, sounding more confused now that he had gotten an answer. He shook his head as if to clear it before he continued, 'do you have any ideas what I can get mom for Christmas?'

'She needs some new pyjamas—I got her a few pairs but she can never have too many. Some new perfume, she's almost ran out of her favourite. Or some lotion and bath sets, she loves those.' I listed off, having been thinking about it since I saw his text earlier.

'I have like twenty bucks. What can I get with that?' He asked sheepishly.

'A set of pyjamas and a lotion and bath set. I'm going to the mall on Sunday if you want me to pick them up for you?' I offered, running a hand through my hair before taking another gulp of coffee.

'No thanks. I'm going with Stiles tomorrow, there are a few other things I need to pick up.' He said, avoiding my gaze and I knew that meant he wanted to shop for my present.

'Okay,' I shrugged, finishing off my beverage before standing and walking over to Scott to ruffle his hair, 'I'm gonna go, the hydra won't slay itself.'

Scott laughed and I leaned down to give him a hug, he kissed my forehead when I pulled back.

'Night Scotty,' I sighed.

'Night. Oh, wait!' Scott almost yelled after me, I paused at his door with my brow cocked in question, 'are you going to be okay tomorrow?'

'Yeah. Derek's gonna make sure I don't kill anyone.' I said, biting my lip as my anxiety spiked at the reminder of the full moon.

'And you trust him?' Scott asked, withholding judgement from his tone.

'Yes.' I said without hesitation—Derek had done more than enough to earn my trust in the past few weeks alone.

'Okay. Stiles is gonna tie me up to be safe, but I think I'll be fine so call if you need anything.'

'I will,' I smiled softly. I offered him a salute before heading to my room across the hall.

I quickly changed into some shorts and a tank top before sitting down at my desk and loading up my laptop. I pulled out my phone and texted Stiles that I was ready and he shot back an affirmative, adding me to his group. I cracked my knuckles and neck, determined to win this as fast as possible so I could get some sleep.

Something was blaring and preventing me from sleeping. I groaned and blindly hit out, trying to get it to stop but eventually I gave up and opened my eyes to look for the source of the noise. I frowned at the brightness invading the room and brushed my hair out of my face. When I realised I was still at my desk I frowned in confusion—I must have fallen asleep during the mission last night. We had managed to defeat the hydra pretty quickly but Stiles had wanted to go after Medusa afterwards and she was a little trickier to capture. My laptop was still logged into the portal and I saw Stiles was asleep at his own desk through the webcam. I shook my head and closed it. I was about to get into bed when the noise started again, I realised with a start it was my phone ringing. I found it on my bedside table and answered it, idly wondering how much sleep I had actually gotten—I was pretty sure it was 4am the last time I looked but I had no idea what time it was now.

'Hello?' I yawned, stretching out my body.

'Stacey? I've been calling you for half an hour. I'm almost at your house, are you ready to go?' Derek said, sounding mildly irritated.

'I thought you weren't coming until 11?' I mumbled, heading for the bathroom.

'It's ten to.' He replied and I could tell he was rolling his eyes.

'Okay, I'll see you tomorrow.' I said, shifting through my cupboard for my toothbrush after hanging up the phone.

I managed to brush my teeth and apply deodorant before Derek got there, ringing the doorbell. I shoved some sliders onto my feet, grabbed my leather jacket and phone before heading downstairs. I pulled open the door and stepped out locking the door behind me clumsily.

'Have you slept?' Derek asked in concern.

'Yeah… but I don't know how long for.' I yawned, grabbing onto his arm to stop me from falling over, 'it's cool if I nap right?'

'Yes,' he shook his head with a roll of his eyes and led me to his car, opening the door for me and making sure I got in.

'Why thank you kind sir.' I said, moving the chair so it let me lie down, 'you're a true gentlemen.'

'If I didn't know better I'd think you were drunk.' Derek commented dryly.

'A lady never does such a thing,' I gasped in offense, snuggling into the seat of his Camaro.

Derek laughed and I found myself smiling at the sound as I fell asleep. I was dreaming about Santa delivering presents with Scott and Stiles pulling the sleigh when the smell of something delicious woke me up. I opened my eyes, blinking to get used to the light and I felt disorientated for a second when I looked around. I appeared to be in an abandoned train station. The compartment I was in contained furniture and a comfortable mattress that smelled of Derek, so I was easily able to deduce who had bought me here and I realised that this must have been where Derek was staying. But the blue-eyed wolf wasn't in the compartment so I decided to explore and hopefully find him. I noticed that I was still wearing the pyjamas I had pulled on last night. My leather jacket had been placed on a set or drawers in the room and I left it, feeling warm enough without it. I did slide on my black sliders by the door of the compartment, wanting something on my feet.

I noticed Derek walking down some stairs on the wall opposite to the old train and it looked like he was carrying food.

'Well, the lady is awake,' he said dryly, heading over to the sofa and table he had to his left.

I followed him over with a blush spreading over my cheeks, 'can we pretend that didn't happen? I can't be held responsible for the things I say when I'm sleep deprived.'

I sat on the sofa next to him, accepting the container and fork he handed me. When I opened it and saw the same order I had gotten when we were last at the Diner my stomach grumbled gratefully.

'You're the best.' I told him honestly, moaning when I took a sip of the drink—he had even gotten me a chocolate milkshake.

I heard his heart beat pick up and I looked over to him with a confused frown to see him staring at me with an unreadable look on his face. He shook his head and cleared his throat as he got his own food out and started to eat. We ate in companionable silence and I was grateful for it because I felt relaxed enough to not have to fill the quietness with forced conversation. When we were finished Derek took the trash and threw it away, when he came back he fixed me with a concerned expression.

'Are you starting to feel it yet?' he asked gently and I looked up at him with a small frown.

'No, actually I feel pretty normal.' I answered honestly, feeling quite surprised about it.

'That's good, it's getting easier.' Derek nodded as if he had expected that as he took his seat next to me again, letting out a sigh.

'Do you feel different?' I wondered, resting my head on my hands as I turned to face him fully.

He gave me a confused look so I elaborated, 'being an alpha.'

'I feel more powerful.' He admitted softly, his eyes becoming distant as he thought it through, 'and I feel the urge to create a pack.'

'What do you mean?' I mumbled, resting my head on the back of the sofa.

'An alpha needs a pack, someone to lead and look out for, it's a part of the instincts that come with being an alpha.' He explained looking over to me as if he was hoping I'd understand.

'That makes sense,' I nodded, because it did—how could you truly be an alpha without a pack?

'Are you thinking about changing people?' I asked curiously.

'Yeah, but unlike Peter I plan on giving them a choice and warning them about all the dangers that come with the kind of power you get from being a werewolf.' He said, tapping his index finger on his thigh—I'd come to notice it as a nervous tick of his.

'That sounds fair.' I said, because it did.

Derek was going to be giving them a choice and not running around biting random teenagers without permission on the night of a full moon. Derek's gaze snapped to mine so fast I was concerned he'd hurt himself until I saw the surprise in his blue eyes.

'What?' I frowned self-consciously.

'Me changing people doesn't bother you?' he murmured so quietly I almost didn't hear him.

I smiled softly placing a hand on his as I spoke, 'you're giving them a choice, Derek; you're letting it be their decision. Why would I have a problem with that?'

He shrugged, his eyes fixed on my hand on top of his, and before I could move it away he entwined them, squeezing my hand gratefully.

'Why would it matter if I did?' I wondered, my voice soft.

'You're the first person I've trusted for a while.' He admitted, still avoiding my gaze, 'your opinion matters to me.'

'Thank you, and I trust you too,' at that he met my eyes and I continued with a smile, 'I wouldn't be here, trusting you to keep me from going on a murderous rampage if I didn't.'

He smiled and I returned it, finding it impossible not to. I felt my heart beat pick up and I cleared my throat to hide it as I pulled my hand gently out of his.

'What time is it?' I wondered—there weren't any windows around for me to determine the time of day myself.

'I'm not sure. My phone died.' He shrugged, I could tell he was lying but I didn't push him on it even if it was a weird thing to lie about.

'Can we watch a movie?' I asked, grinning when I saw a MacBook Pro resting on the table now all of the trash had been cleared. I reached for it and pulled it onto my lap without waiting for an answer, but when I saw it had a password I almost pouted.

I held it out to him, giving him my best puppy dog eyes—Scott's were better, I was out of practice. Derek shook his head but I could tell he was fighting to hold back a smile and the sight made my stomach flutter. He took the laptop from me and typed in the password. I bit my lip in concentration as I shifted through his Netflix account, which was thankfully _not_ password protected. After trying to decide what to watch I finally settled on Ride Along, because Kevin Hart was a comedy genius and I could use a good laugh. Once it was set up I turned up the volume and placed it on the table so we could both see it. I didn't even think twice about cuddling up to Derek's side, my head resting on his shoulder. Although the blue-eyed wolf seemed to be surprised every time I touched him in a casual way, as if for a split second he couldn't believe I was that comfortable around him, but the hesitation melted away just as fast and he relaxed, moving his arm around my waist and allowing me to lean into him more fully.

We managed to get through the rest of the film before the effects of the full moon started to become unbearable. My claws were growing without my consent, my eyes were flashing and clouding my gaze a bloodthirsty red. But worse than that, my skin felt like it was on _fire._ I stayed in my position—leaning against Derek—as I desperately tried to fight the panic overtaking my body as I lost control. The panic was raising my pulse even more and making it that much more difficult for me to stop the transformation. The desire to kill was growing stronger and I clenched my eyes shut, Derek's body was still pressed against mine and I was insanely grateful that I couldn't hear his heartbeat over my own otherwise I dread to think what I would have done. The last time I heard a heartbeat in this state, it belonged to my best friend and I had tried to kill him. Despite my efforts a small growl of pain escaped my lips and I flinched, knowing that the blue-eyed wolf had heard it.

'Stacey?' Derek's voice echoed in my mind almost painfully, cutting through the thirst for blood and the pain.

I frowned as my mind… cleared and when I looked over to him I was seeing him with my human eyes but I felt incredibly weak.

'Derek,' I gasped, lifting my head from his shoulder and wiping my forehead with the back of my hand. I sat up and leaned forward, putting my head in my hands.

I felt so hot, weak and drowsy—it reminded me of when I got a bad case of the flu in freshman year. It was awful but in this case the symptoms reminded me that amazingly I was still human, still in control. How was that even possible? I lifted my head from my hands and stared at my fingertips, amazed that my claws had retracted so easily when I'd been trying to get them to go away for at least five minutes without Derek noticing. I jumped a little when Derek was suddenly kneeling down in front of me, taking my hands in his own and lowering them so he could clearly see my expression.

'What just happened? One minute I was sure I was going to shift and now…' I trailed off, still a little dazed and confused from how fast things had changed.

'You pulled it back.' He said softly, pride leaking into his voice.

'How?'

'You must have found an anchor.' Derek explained, sitting back on the sofa and pulling me into his side.

'How did I find my anchor and not know what it is?' I mumbled, feeling tired again, my eye lids were drooping but I fought the urge, desperately wanting an answer.

'It could have been anything. A memory that sprung to your mind, a heartbeat, an emotion, a person…' he looked down to me and his expression softened when he saw my exhaustion, 'go to sleep. We'll figure it out another time, I promise, for now you need to rest.'

'Okay.' I sighed, unashamedly snuggling into his side, 'I need to be home for one tomorrow. I'm going shopping with Erica.'

'I'll make sure you're home.' He sounded amused but I didn't have time to respond because I was fading into unconsciousness quicker than I could predict.

 _The Next Day_

'So what are you doing for Christmas?' I wondered, pulling my knees up to my chest as Derek drove me back to my house.

After I had passed out last night I had one of the best nights sleep I'd had for a while. I slept right through until ten this morning; Derek had already been awake and working over a punching bag so I'd woken up on his mattress alone. He hadn't been gone long though—his scent had been too strong. I'd asked if he would be up for sparring with me for a while seeing as he was already working out. He'd seemed surprised that I'd asked but he agreed. We had sparred on a few other occasions before that, but today was the first time since he had become an alpha. But other than the hits he landed being a lot more powerful, I had held myself rather well and even managed to pin him after twenty minutes of fighting. I had learned to beat Derek you needed to do what he was least expecting. He studied every opponent critically, sizing up their strengths, mentally documenting what moves they went for the most so that he was not only physically prepared, but so he also had a logical advantage. Of course, that only worked if you stuck to the same moves. I hadn't done that since the first time we sparred—being unpredictable in a fight was Derek's weakness, even as an alpha. He had been both impressed and wounded that I had managed to beat him this morning—it didn't help that I planned on never letting him live it down. What were friends for, right?

'Nothing.' Derek gave me a deadpan look.

'You should come to our house!' I said brightly, the idea of him spending Christmas alone squeezed my heart painfully.

'What? No, I couldn't do that.' Derek shook his head, turning the car onto my street.

'And why not? My mom wouldn't mind and Scott isn't as cautious around you after you defeated Peter.'

'I'm pretty sure he's still bitter that I took away his chance of being cured.' Derek gave me an unconvinced look as he stopped in front of my house.

'Nah, he's over that.' I waved my hand dismissively but didn't elaborate, knowing Scott wouldn't appreciate it if I did, 'besides I'm cooking dinner and I'll have Christmas presents to give you so really, it'll be easier and better if you came around.'

He startled, his gaze snapping over to mine as if to determine my sincerity. I tried not to fidget under his attention, because damn when Derek wanted to his stare could be intimidating. Eventually his mask cracked and I could read the surprise, awe and gratitude in his expression, which gave me hope that I could convince him.

'You don't have to come, but I'd like it if you did.' I said, deciding that giving an alpha orders might not be the best idea, 'call me and let me know what you decide, but either way I will be seeing you on Christmas day. Whether it's at my house or me coming over to yours with a Christmas plate and presents, that's up to you.' I shrugged, shooting him an innocent smile when he shook his head in amusement.

I leaned over and gave him a tight hug, 'thank you for helping me yesterday. I appreciate it.'

'No problem.' He cleared his throat when I pulled back, the tips of his ears going red—it amused me until I realised that he was embarrassed because he wasn't used to people's gratitude then I felt a painful pang in my chest that I brushed off.

'See you.' I gave him a little wave before grabbing my things and climbing from the car.

I hadn't taken a change of clothes yesterday—I think the fact I was practically comatose when Derek picked me up was the main reason. So this morning I hadn't had any clothes to change into after I had gotten all hot and sweaty during the sparring and ended up needing a shower—Derek had leant me some clothes. To the neighbours I probably looked like I was returning after spending a night at my boyfriend's house—just the thought of that made me blush as I unlocked the door and stepped inside the house. I was wearing some grey sweats and one of Derek's white tank tops underneath my leather jacket. Needless to say, both were too big for me—the pants kept riding down despite the fact that I had pulled the drawstrings as tight as they would go, and the top was dangerously close to flashing my bra. Regardless, I had been grateful for the clean clothes and I already knew I was going to steal them. They might have been big but they were just too damn comfy.

 _A few hours later._

'So who else do you need to buy for?' Erica asked, her arm linked through mine.

'After I've picked up the pictures, I'm all done. What about you?' I wondered as we walked towards the food court—we had a thirty-minute wait for the photos so we figured we'd get some food.

'I'm done too, but I do need some new clothes and I'd appreciate your opinion.' Erica hinted, smiling innocently.

Erica and I had never done anything outside of the hospital or school together before, so I had been a little anxious that today would be totally awkward when we were forced together in an interaction that lasted longer than five minutes. But it had been surprisingly nice. I loved Scott and Stiles to death, but it was nice to have a normal teenage girl moment with a girl from school and to talk about things that Scott and Stiles would have been mortified about. We had talked about our favourite chick flicks, crushes and our combined dislike for societal expectations for women. I had figured out she had a crush on Stiles—I had already come up with a ship name, Sterica, and it was now my mission to get them together—she loved the notebook and hated that girls at high school were expected to appear "perfect" and if they weren't, they were invisible. All in all, we had a lot in common—except for the crush on Stiles, the thought of that made me want to gag. I loved him, but not… _that_ way.

'I will endure this torture for you,' I held my hand to my heart dramatically, laughing when Erica dissolved into giggles at my exaggeration.

'You're the best.' She said in a playfully patronising tone.

I snorted but didn't reply as I gave the man at McDonalds my order—Cheeseburger, fries and iced water. Erica had a chicken wrap, fries and a strawberry milkshake.

'I'm glad we did this,' I said as I shoved a few fries into my mouth, 'I needed a fun day to blow off some steam.'

'Me too. Last semester was insane with the animal attacks and everything.'

I almost choked on my water when she said that, but I managed to save it, 'yeah totally. So what kind of clothes were you thinking?'

She answered my question, much to my relief, and spent the next half an hour talking about clothes. It reminded me of Lydia's spiel about dresses for the winter formal and I felt a sad smile form on my lips at the reminder of the strawberry blonde. She was still in the hospital—she had woken up from her coma a few days ago, much to the relief of us all. Allison and I had been visiting her in the hospital every day, but at different times. While the huntress went during the visiting hours, I often popped in at random intervals when I could slip away for my break during my volunteer shifts. I knew Lydia appreciated the visits—her parents had been a bit smothering so having both her friends distract her for an hour a day was welcome.

Erica and I came up with a few shops where we could find clothes to match the style she was going for—elegant but sexy—and when we finished our meal we decided to pick up the pictures before heading over there. The pictures were going to be a part of Derek's present, though I was a little nervous about giving it to him. For this one, I was thinking about giving it to him when we were alone, because it was personal and I knew he wouldn't want to be under the inspection off Scott and my mom if he did decide to come over.

'Are they from when you were a kid?' Erica asked when she caught a glimpse of the picture at the top of the pile when I pulled them out to check they were mine.

'Yeah. I'm making a scrapbook.' I smiled but it was forced as the picture of nine-year old Cora and I refused to fade from my mind even after I put the pictures safely away and allowed Erica to drag me to Macy's.

'That's a cute idea.' Erica said with a soft smile, but she didn't push anymore or demand to see the rest of the pictures and for that I was grateful.

They were pictures of Cora and I, along with other members of Derek's family. I had found an old camera when I was looking for my half of the friendship bracelet I had given Cora for her birthday last week. I ended up finding the box in the back of my closet where I had shoved everything that reminded me of the younger Hale. Needless to say, I hadn't dealt with her death well—I'd put everything in there and proceeded to forget it existed. But I'd had the urge to feel connected to her after we killed Peter, so I went hunting for the bracelet and ended up finding it—it was now securely attached to my wrist—and I also found an old camera. Thanks to my _healthy_ grieving process, I couldn't remember what was on it, but the first picture bought the memories to the surface.

It had been Cora's ninth birthday party and I had bought my mom's camera with me after practically begging her—she had gotten it the Christmas before after her old one had broken and I'd become obsessed with it. During that day, I had forced everyone into pictures. There were ones of Cora and I alone and with everyone else in her family. Derek, Laura, Talia, Dale—her father—Katie and Kirsten—her younger twin sisters, Thomas—her older brother and even Peter. Everyone was smiling and you could make out the grass and woodland in the background of every picture—she had a picnic party on the Hale estate and I'd been the only one outside of the family to be invited. The images bought tears to my eyes as I flipped through them and when I reached the last one I couldn't help but touch the picture lightly as a small smile formed on my lips.

' _We have to take a group photo!' I insisted, resisting the urge to stomp my foot. My mom said that was what babies did and I was not a baby._

' _Why?' Cora asked, giggling as her older brother, Derek, tickled her from behind before going to their older brother when he called him._

' _So we can all remember this day forever and ever, because it's the best day.' I explained, frustrated that she didn't seem to understand._

' _Okay, Ace. We can do it.' Cora agreed, winding her arm around my shoulders, silently offering me support. She called me Ace because it was short for Stacey. Only Cora was allowed to call me that because she was my best friend._

' _Thanks Cory.' I smiled, sucking my bottom lip into my mouth and enjoying the taste of frosting that lingered there from the cake._

' _Derek will help us. And Tommy,' Cora said confidently, pulling me over to where they stood talking with a gentle but firm hold on my hand. I smiled when I saw the friendship bracelet attached to her wrist—it was red leather and had a silver plate woven into it that said "best friends". Hers was red because it was her favourite colour and mine was blue for the same reason._

' _Der, Tom!' She shouted, jumping on her heels a little to get their attention._

 _They looked down to us, both smiling softly at their sister._

' _Yes, birthday girl?' Derek asked, dramatically bowing to his sister._

' _Ace wants us to take a group picture. Can you make everyone do it, please?' she asked, fluttering her eyelashes and pouting prettily._

 _I saw that both brothers tried to fight Cora's puppy dog look, but the had it mastered and it was impossible. I wasn't surprised when they agreed. It didn't take them long to round everyone up and I handed my camera to Dale so he could turn on the timer before propping it on the table. Dale and Talia were kneeling at the front and everyone else was standing in a Crescent shape behind them with Cora and I in the middle on the shoulders of her brothers. I was on Derek's shoulders, one hand in his hair for balance, while the other was clasped in Cora's where she sat on Thomas' shoulders._

' _You were right, Ace.' Cora said to me._

' _I usually am. My mom says it's my most annoying trait,' I told her matter-of-factly tugging at Derek's hair when I heard him chuckle, 'but what am I right about this time?'_

' _Today is the best day ever.' She answered, we shared a grin._

' _Ready everyone? 3,2,1 SMILE!' Dale yelled._

 _Cora and I turned forward, giving the camera the biggest smiles we could manage._

I carefully put the photos back inside my bag as the memory faded away and managed to wipe away the tears that had fallen moments before Erica came out of the changing room for my opinion on her outfit. I smiled and offered her my honest thoughts on the different things she came out in, but I was fighting off tears the entire time because I felt like my chest had just been ripped open. I missed her so much.

 **Here's part one of Christmas break! So far I'm planning on their being two parts before I delve into the next season, but you never know! See you next time, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	13. Christmas Is In The Air Part Two

Chapter Thirteen—Christmas Is In The Air Part Two.

'So, how bored are you on a scale of one to I'm about to gouge out my own eyeballs for something to do?' I asked the strawberry blonde sat up in the hospital bed in amusement.

'I'm thinking that spoon would be a good tool to use.' She gestured to the silver spoon on her tray laden with horrible cafeteria food.

'I figured that, so I bought you a care package with your presents seeing as your mom has banned visitors until after the holiday.' I said, lifting up the huge tote bag beside me like it was the Holy Grail.

It was Christmas Eve and I had been doing last minute chores and shopping. I decided to drop in to see Lydia, both to ease her complete and utter boredom and to let her have her presents. I was hoping it would make her a little less depressed—since the accident I hadn't really seen her laugh or smile more than a handful of times. I couldn't really blame her, she had been attacked by the alpha and she had to stare at the same four walls day after day, but I was hoping I could bring her a little Christmas cheer.

'Stacey, you are officially my favourite person!' she said pulling out all of the items in the bag and carefully laying them on the bed in front of her.

I had bought some school books and books for pleasure, knowing she liked to read just as much as I did, some of her usual shampoo, conditioner, face wash, moisturiser, deodorant, body wash and shaving cream with a razor. I had guessed with the brands but I had already known what scents she used anyway—apparently her dad had gotten it all wrong when he went out to buy them for her and Lydia liked to use her usual products because her skin was sensitive. I had also packed in a small amount of make up—she hated going barefaced everyday— some hair ties and some fashion magazines. It should keep her going for a while and that was the plan, to distract her from the mundane environment she was currently trapped in.

'Thank you so much!' She practically squealed and we both giggled, her excitement affecting us both.

'You're welcome.' I grinned and reached down to pull out a medium sized gift wrapped box, 'I also bought your Christmas present, you don't have to open it now—,' I laughed when she cut me off by making "gimmie" hands at me.

I handed the box over and watched as she tore into it, childlike eagerness lighting up her expression. When she came face to face with a plain brown cardboard box she let out an annoyed growl at the lack of hints and that made me snigger. Eventually, she got it open and she spent so long staring at it that I was worried she hated it. I had gotten her a complete outfit—with the help of Allison—one that she had been eyeing when she and the huntress went shopping for formal dresses a few weeks ago. It was a skater dress that was a light brown on the bust and decorated with pink and white flowers on the rest of the dress. I had gotten her a golden-chained necklace that was styled so that it tied in a knot while the loose strings would hang down in between her breasts. To finish off the look I had added some ankle booties the same brown as the bust of the dress. Allison had assured me she would love it, but Lydia's fashion sense was set in stone—she either liked something or she didn't. I taken a huge gamble getting her a complete outfit for the first gift I'd ever bought her, but I was grateful we had become friends so I'd decided to take the plunge. Plus I figured giving her an outfit she could look forward to wearing when she got out of the hospital was a good idea.

'Do you like it? Because if not you can return it and get something else, I still have the receipt—,' I was abruptly cut off by Lydia practically diving into my arms and catching me in a rib crushing embrace.

'I love it. Thank you, Stacey,' She whispered whilst she hugged me.

I smiled as I hugged her back, relieved and happy that I had gotten her something she liked. After we had pulled apart and she had tidied away her new additions so that she had some resemblance of order in her room, we chatted for a little while. Her parents tended to leave us alone whenever I visited and took the time to eat, shower or fetch things they needed. So Lydia and I were able to talk about how much of a dick Jackson was, how we both knew she still loved him despite that, how she had a good time with Stiles at the formal—up until she was almost killed that is. She also asked about the mystery person I had been texting again but I just shrugged and told her that it was my friend, Derek. Lydia gave me a disbelieving look and rolled her green eyes at me but I just laughed it off. Derek and I were just friends. Just friends. And before I knew it, visiting hours were over and I was making my way out of the door to head home.

I waved goodbye to Jean, another receptionist regular, on my way out of the door. I was humming Christmas tunes underneath my breath as I climbed in the drivers seat and started the ignition. I glanced at the time—it was just after four and I needed to get home soon. Mom wanted to do some last minute shopping so she needed the car; I'd already finished all of my wrapping so I could just relax and prepare for the dinner tomorrow. I couldn't help but grin as I drove, I loved the feeling of Christmas, the excitement, the cheer, the hectic rushing around to make sure everything was ready for the big day, most of all though I loved to spend it with family. It wouldn't be anywhere near worth the effort if I didn't have Scott and mom to spend it with, which was why I was seriously considering just tasering Derek and dragging him over to our house. I had asked mom if she minded, and even Scott, both were completely fine with it. But Derek wouldn't budge. His answer was always "I couldn't do that" or "I don't want to intrude." It was irritating me to the point that I wanted to just scream at him to get his werewolf ass to my house to enjoy Christmas, but somehow I didn't think that would have the desired effect. Or maybe it would.

I pulled up in front of my house and put the car in park before stepping out. Derek could be so difficult. Maybe it was because Christmas just reminded him of a holiday he should be spending with his family, which if that was the reason I could understand the need to be alone. But I didn't want him to spend it alone; I wanted him to know he has people in his life that do care about him. But the man could be _stubborn_. I shook my head and sighed in frustration as I stepped inside the house. I smiled at the sight of the Christmas tree decorated in the front room; it had taken Scott and I three hours to do and most of that time was spent with us arguing over which ornaments would look best on certain branches of the tree. We eventually finished it, and the labour was worth it because it looked great. It was decorated with gold and white ornaments and white fairy lights with splashes of colour from ones Scott and I made in kindergarten that mom insisted be on the tree. The fireplace also had twinkling lights around it as well as holly and our stockings. I had placed most of my presents under the tree already—I just had a few more to wrap. Mom and Scott left _all_ of theirs until the last minute, which added to the hectic Christmas Eve fiasco. I loved it.

'Oh good, you're back!' Mom exclaimed with a bright smile, kissing my cheek and grabbing the car keys I had thrown on the side, 'I shouldn't be too long, I only have a few more things to get.'

'Sure mom,' I shook my head fondly, 'I'll have dinner ready for when you get back!' I yelled after her getting a thank you in response.

I made my way to the kitchen and decided on cheesy enchiladas for dinner—it wasn't very Christmassy but it was delicious. Plus, we were going to get more than enough Christmassy food tomorrow. As I was cooking I pulled out my phone and dialled Derek's number, smiling when he picked up on the second ring.

'Hello Stacey,' he greeted me, sounding exasperated and I couldn't blame him—I had been calling him none stop for days asking him if he'd changed his mind.

'Hello handsome.' I teased before my voice became serious, 'do you like enchiladas?'

'Yes I do.' He sounded confused by the random question.

'Great! I'm making some for dinner so you can come over. They'll be done about seven and seeing as you need to come over to pick up your Christmas presents you may as well spend the night and stay with us over the holidays! I'm glad you agree! See you at seven!' I hung up the phone before he had a chance to reply, smirking at my own change in tactic. He was going to be so pissed off and sure enough, my phone started ringing as soon as I'd hung up, but I ignored it, placed it on silent and carried on with what I had been doing without a care in the world.

To be honest, I didn't think he would actually listen to me, but I was out of ideas. If he didn't show up then I was just going to visit him tomorrow anyway, whether he liked it or not. I plugged my phone in to play over the speakers and blasted my Christmas playlist; the first song to play was Wham's _Last Christmas_. I sang along happily as I started to prepare the ingredients for dessert tomorrow—it was traditional for us to have "Christmas Cake" though I made it without the sultanas. Nobody liked that I mean, come on.

'Last Christmas I gave you my heart but the very next day you gave it away, this year to save me from ah!' I screamed as I turned around and saw Derek stood leaning against the doorframe that led to the kitchen.

He had his arms crossed over his chest as he regarded me, amused. I huffed and turned the music down before fixing him with an accusatory stare.

'You can't just sneak up on people like that!' I complained.

'I didn't sneak. I called your name three times, clearly you didn't hear me,' he cocked his brow with a smirk.

'What can I say? When I jam, I jam hard,' I teased, placing the enchiladas in the oven and walking over to give him a hug.

I discretely inhaled his scent, not questioning the way that it calmed me as I hugged him tightly. It took him a second, it always did, but he returned my embrace with equal force. I pulled back after a moment and offered him a sheepish smile.

'I didn't think you'd come.' I said, tying my hair up into a high ponytail to get it out of my face.

'Well I figured if I didn't you'd end up dragging me here one way or another.' Derek said with a roll of his eyes, but I knew he wasn't really annoyed.

'Yeah, I'm sorry if I was being pushy, I just didn't want you to be alone for Christmas because you're stubborn.' I gave him a pointed look that actually made him chuckle a little.

'Stacey this is the first Christmas without any family to spend it with, I know I'm not going to handle it well and I didn't want to ruin your Christmas.' Derek admitted softly, avoiding my eye.

I took a step forward and placed a gentle hand on his forearm, smiling softly when he met my gaze.

'I can't even imagine what you've been through and how much you're hurting right now. But you have people in your life who care about you, Derek, people who want to be there for you.' I told him honestly, hoping I wasn't crossing some kind of line.

He was silent for what felt like a long time, staring into my eyes as if he was trying to determine if I meant my words. I refused to look away, wanting him to know he could trust me.

'Stacey?' My mom's voice broke our stare-off.

I didn't realise how close Derek and I were standing until that moment; we were inches away from each other. I had no idea who had started leaning in first, or whether we had been equally drawn to each other, but either way as soon as my mom's voice cut across the room we sprang apart at the same time. I walked over to the sink to start cleaning the dishes I had made in the process of making the enchiladas to hide my blush, while Derek cleared his throat and came to stand beside me, accepting the clean dishes from me and wiping them down. I sent him a thankful smile as my mom joined us in the kitchen.

'There you are, oh, Derek!' She said brightly and I couldn't help but suppress a chuckle at the surprise on the older wolf's face, 'I'm glad you decided to join us for Christmas!'

'Yeah Derek we're glad you decided to join us.' I sent him a mildly smug look and smothered a laugh when I saw a reluctant smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

'Thank you for inviting me, Mrs McCall.' Derek eventually returned politely.

'It's no problem, the more the merrier.' Mom smiled, kissing me on the cheek before moving to head out of the room.

'Did you get everything?' I asked her.

'Yes! I'll be upstairs wrapping if you need me.' She replied, her feet stomping on the stairs and indicating to her departure.

I shook my head in amusement—it was the same every year, most if not all of her shopping would be done on Christmas Eve, but she always did a great job. I had a feeling she already knew what she wanted to get us before she went but she just liked to leave it until the day before for the shopping rush.

'So… what's your favourite Christmas movie?' I wondered as we finished up the cleaning and headed to the living room.

'I—don't have one,' I could tell from his tone he was lying and I gave him an amused look.

'I don't need to listen to your heartbeat to know you're lying.' I teased, walking over to look at the DVD's by the T.V. while he sat on the couch.

'I'm not lying.' He said in the same unconvincing tone.

I snorted, 'are you naturally a terrible liar or are you incapable of lying to me?'

'Oh like you're one to talk.' Derek scoffed, throwing a pillow at me that I caught easily with a laugh.

'Okay fine, but at least I admit it, Mr-In-Denial.' I teased, deciding on _The Polar Express_ and putting it into the DVD player before joining Derek on the sofa.

The older wolf just rolled his eyes in mild irritation but otherwise didn't respond to my quip as we settled in to watch the movie. Scott returned home about halfway through the movie and just as I was getting up from the sofa to pull dinner from the oven.

'Hey Scotty.' I greeted him as I placed the hot pan on the side and started distributing them evenly on plates with a little side salad that had been in the fridge.

'Hey Stace.' Scott kissed my cheek and went to the fridge to grab a water.

'How's Stiles? Did you let him open his presents?' Stiles usually spent Christmas with us and the Sheriff would join us in between shifts, but amazingly this year he has Christmas off and he and his son were spending their first holiday together in years.

'No,' Scott laughed under his breath, 'you should have seen the look on his face, he was mortified.'

I joined in on my twin's laughter, able to imagine the shock of our best friend easily.

'Well it's not Christmas yet, so he's not allowed.' I said sternly, even though I'd already let Lydia open hers, but she was an exception.

'That's what I told him, I also said you'd beat the crap out of him if you found out he'd opened them before tomorrow. That shut him up.' Scott smiled his dimpled smile and laughed when I wrinkled my nose.

'Why would that work? I'm not that scary am I?' I wondered, grabbing mom's plate of food and preparing to take it upstairs.

'Yeah you are,' Scott told me honestly.

'Huh… interesting.' I mused.

'Uh-oh.' My twin muttered under his breath, making the grin on my face grow, 'why do I get the feeling that I shouldn't have just told you that?'

I merely shrugged before heading upstairs—I know mom wouldn't come down until the wrapping was done, so taking the food up to her was my way of assuring that she did eat.

'Mom, I've got your dinner,' I told her after I knocked on the door.

'Okay, leave it on the floor outside. Thank you sweetie.' She shouted out to me through the wood panelling.

'Fine, but you better get it as soon as I leave! And you're welcome.' I yelled back to her as I made my way back downstairs after following her request.

When I got back to the kitchen I saw Scott had already grabbed his food. I rolled my eyes at his predictability and grabbed the two plates after balancing two bottles of water under my arms. As I made my way into the living room I noticed two things—one Scott was sat in the spare armchair, stuffing his face and watching the movie with rapt interest, two they had played the movie _without_ me!

'Hey! Why exactly is this playing without me?' I asked my twin, knowing he was most likely the culprit.

'It was Derek's idea!' Scott almost spat his food out at me and I sent him a disgusted look after I'd handed Derek his plate and water.

'Twin, we shared a womb. I know when you're lying,' I rolled my eyes and took my seat next to the oldest wolf, smiling at him when he snorted at my words before I regarded the movie, 'anyway it's fine the best part hasn't happened yet.'

The movie was at the part where the kids were split up and trying to find each other; I loved the part where they all gathered together to see Santa. We all sat, ate and watched the movie. When the credits rolled up the screen we had all finished eating and I was just about to get up to take everyone's plates into the kitchen, but Derek beat me to it and refused to listen to any of my protests. I hadn't realised I'd been staring after him with a smile until a pillow hit the side of my face and my twin gave me an obvious look.

'Shut up,' I muttered, throwing the pillow back to him and ignoring his laughter, 'you wanna pick the next movie?'

'Sure.' Scott grinned and I shook my head, already knowing which one he was going to choose; my twin's favourite Christmas movie was The Grinch, hands down. I loved it too, but I don't think anyone could love it as much as him.

Derek joined us just as Scott had hit play and I idly wondered if he had planned that. With a shrug I nestled deeper into the sofa, grabbing the throw laid on the back and putting it over both of us. I placed my head on Derek's shoulder and in the back of my mind I registered that he didn't even freeze that time, he just wound his arm around my waist and allowed me to snuggle into his side. I felt a small smile form on my face as my eyelids started to droop and the last thing I remember is the feeling of Derek's thumb rubbing back and forth soothingly on my shoulder.

Derek's POV

I was listening to her heartbeat so I knew the exact moment she fell asleep. I smiled a small sincere smile and forced myself to watch the rest of the movie; I saw Scott giving me pointed looks out of the corner of my eye but I ignored him. I was hoping that my expression wasn't as transparent as it felt. It was a little alarming how close I had gotten to Stacey in a matter of months. I didn't know what it was about her. She was kind, selfless, caring, brave, fiery and somehow she had gotten past the walls I had carefully constructed around myself, walls that had grown stronger when Laura had died. Honestly, I couldn't pin point the moment that she had become someone I now cared about, but I knew the moment I realised it.

It was the night we had discovered that Peter was the alpha; we had gone to confront Scott and Stacey in the locker room. The way that Peter had spoken to her, the way he had _looked_ at her had rattled me more than I would have cared to admit. Luckily I had managed to control my chemo signals, or the alpha would have picked up on my anger and protectiveness for the brunette in an instant. I didn't even want to think about what would have happened then. When the interaction had ended with him sinking his claws into the back of her neck, my concern and anger had been building inside of me to the point that I'd had to make up an excuse to get away from Peter straight after. I had tried to go to her that night, to explain what was going on, but instead I sat in my car listening to the sound of her crying herself to sleep and I knew that Stacey McCall had rendered the protective walls around myself to clumps of dust and rubble and there was no getting rid of her. And I didn't want to. She was the first person, outside of my family, that had believed in me, trusted me and cared about me for the longest time. And as terrified as I was that she was somehow going to get hurt from being around me, the thought of losing the only person I trusted was just as painful. She was my best friend.

'Hey mom, you finished wrapping?' Scott's question bought me out of my thoughts to notice Melissa joining us in the living room looking quite tired.

'Yes.' She smiled and I could smell that she was both relieved and excited, 'have you finished yours?'

'Um… sure.' Scott rubbed the back of his neck guiltily and I didn't need to be listening to his heartbeat to know he was lying.

I cocked my brow at him in amusement but he didn't notice because he was climbing from his seat.

'I'm just gonna go and make sure it's all finished.' He said awkwardly squirming under his mother's disapproving gaze on his way to the stairs.

Melissa's lips twitched into a smile when Scott darted up the stairs and I felt my own lips do the same. Her eyes moved over to me and I offered her a small smile and tried not to blush when she observed her daughter snuggled into my side with a soft smile.

'How long has she been out?'

'A little over an hour.' I answered softly, not wanting to disturb her.

'You're gonna have to wake her sooner or later, you know.' She gave me a knowing look that I pretended not to see.

'I'll carry her up, she deserves the sleep.' I said, not quite looking her in the eye; I could smell the wave of fondness radiating from her and I didn't think I could face it.

She had already made several not so subtle comments that she wanted Stacey and I to be a couple, but I couldn't even consider that. The last girlfriend I had burned my family alive and the one before that had died in my arms. I couldn't imagine letting someone that close to me again… it hurt too much. Stacey was as close as I was willing to let anyone right now.

'I'm sure she'd appreciate it. Though I wouldn't put it past her to be pretending right now, just to avoid having to walk up the stairs.' Melissa shook her head fondly, planting herself in the armchair Scott had vacated.

'She used to do that?' I felt a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

'All the time. Scott too, it wasn't fun carrying them both upstairs at the same time. I'm sure they regretted their acting from the minor concussions they both got from me accidentally banging their heads against the wall.' She chuckled and I couldn't help but join in with her.

'I'm sure they did, until they needed to be carried again.' I commented.

'Very true.' She nodded, taking the remote and switching it back to normal T.V.

'I'm gonna take her up anyway.' I said, avoiding the soft gaze I could practically feel boring into the side of my head.

I wound my arm around Stacey's waist and used my free hand to hitch her legs over my lap so that I could stand with her in my arms, bridal style. She groaned a little when I stood up, but she didn't wake up; she nuzzled into my chest and settled down almost instantly.

'Goodnight.' Melissa said softly, I returned the sentiment before heading upstairs, being careful not to bang any of her limbs on the walls.

I reached her room without an incident and laid her down, gently removing her shoes and taking the hair tie out of her hair. I took off my own clothes and slid on a pair of sweat pants that Stacey had started keeping in her room for occasions such as these. I was about to join her in the bed when I noticed the presents piled up on her desk. There were three separate piles, distinguishable by the different types of wrapping paper. Scott's were wrapped in Rudolph, Melissa's in snowmen and mine in Santa. I felt an unknown emotion swell in my chest over the simple fact that she had gotten me Christmas presents and not just one, but the same amount that she had got for her mom and Scott. I looked over to her where she was sleeping peacefully in her bed, a small smile forming on my lips. Stacey McCall was definitely something else. Without further hesitation I carefully slid in beside her, smiling when she immediately sought me out and snuggled into my chest, inhaling and then sighing happily. I took in her scent as well, enjoying the comforting feeling that flowed through me at the smells of rain, antiseptic and strawberries that made up Stacey's unique scent. Being surrounded by her warmth, hearing her soft breathing and her heart beating meant that it wasn't long before I fell into unconsciousness.

Stacey's POV

I groaned at the sunlight that rose me from my slumber the next morning, rolling over and snuggling back into the warmth of my bed. I was planning on going back to sleep but then I remembered what day it was. I lifted my head up and blinked away the sleep from my eyes, a slow grin growing on my face as I realised it was morning. I almost squealed when I looked down and realised that I had literally rolled _on top_ of Derek in my plans to go back to sleep. I rolled to the side and shook his shoulder hard enough to wake him.

'Derek! Wake up! It's Christmas!' I practically yelled, yanking the covers off him and jumping from the bed.

I frowned when I realised I wasn't in pyjamas and realised that I must have fallen asleep down stairs yesterday. Meaning that Derek probably carried me to bed. The thought made me smile as I rummaged in my dresser for some Christmas themed pyjamas. I settled for a pair of shorts that were covered in snow flakes and a pale blue vest top that had a snowman on it.

'Derek!' I shouted again before I danced into my bathroom to change, throwing my clothes in the hamper before entering my room again. I huffed when I saw the blue-eyed wolf hadn't even moved and went to shake his shoulder again, only for him to grab my arm and suddenly flip me so that I was underneath him.

I blinked in surprise and laughed when I realised what he had done; it was becoming a habit of his.

'Good you're awake,' I smiled cheekily, my hands resting on his shoulders.

'I think the whole street is awake, Stacey,' he rolled his eyes in amusement before climbing from the bed and pulling me up with him.

'They should be, it's Christmas.' I reminded him, encase he had forgotten since I told him five minutes ago.

He just shook his head fondly and went to shrug on his shirt from yesterday but I stopped him, going over to my dresser again and pulling out the tank he had lent me last week.

'You stole my shirt?' He cocked his brow and shrugged it on before following me out of the room.

'Technically you lent it to me, I just wasn't in any hurry to give it back.' I winked, heading to Scott's room only to find it was empty. I frowned in confusion; I was usually the first one awake on Christmas day and I was the one who had to wake everyone else.

I went to move to check my mom's room but Derek stopped me by taking my hand.

'They're already downstairs.' He told me, tapping his ear in an explanation.

'Weird.' I muttered but my suspicion faded quickly and I pulled on Derek's hand to lead him downstairs.

I could smell pancakes cooking and didn't bother to hide my sound of appreciation as I entered the kitchen with Derek in tow. Scott was sat at the table, scrolling through his phone and subconsciously humming to the Christmas tunes that were playing in the background. He was wearing some sweatpants with a jumper that had Santa putting presents underneath a Christmas tree. Mom was stood at the stove, full on singing along to the music as she cooked; she already had a pretty impressive pile of pancakes on the plate beside her. I smiled when I noticed they were shaped like Christmas trees.

'Merry Christmas!' I greeted the kitchen, pulling Derek down to the empty seat beside mine. Scott was sat across from me and I assumed mom would take the empty seat next to my twin, unless she decided to sit at one of the head seats.

'Merry Christmas sweetheart! Merry Christmas Derek.' mom sang making us all laugh.

'Merry Christmas, Mrs—Melissa,' Derek amended his words at my mom's firm look.

Scott returned the sentiment with a lot less enthusiasm before sipping on his orange juice; mom had already laid out a glass at each table setting.

'Have you heard from Stiles yet?' I wondered, moving to check my own phone but I cursed when I realised I'd left it upstairs.

'Yeah, he had the sheriff up at the crack of dawn this morning.' Scott shook his head fondly, 'he told me to thank you for your presents and to shout at you for going overboard. Again.'

'Hey, I restrained myself a lot this year.' I said, frowning when both Derek and Scott snorted, 'what?'

'You have enough presents up in your room to fund an elves workshop.' Derek said, giving me a soft smile.

'Well Christmas only comes once a year.' I shrugged, digging into the pancakes as mom laid them down in the centre of the table.

'You're a good person, Stacey. Both of you are, I'm so proud of my niños.' Her eyes filled with happy tears and I offered her a smile while Scott squeezed her hand.

'And we're proud of you, momma.' I told her, meaning every word. She was my hero and she always would be.

'So, Stacey, what have you gotten me for Christmas?' Scott sent me his puppy eyes and I almost caved but I managed to stay strong.

'Nice try, Scotty! You'll find out after breakfast,' I rolled my eyes, a smile on my face.

The rest of breakfast passed with lighthearted conversation as we talked about School, Derek talked about living in New York and his collage degree and mom talked about her shifts at the hospital. It was like your typical family breakfast, although there was a feeling of excitement lingering in the air. I cleared the plates and washed the dishes, offering Derek a grateful smile as he once again dried them. Mom and Scott used that time to bring their presents down stairs and to sort them into piles in the living room. Once Derek and I were done I popped my head in the living room.

'I'm gonna go and grab mine. Don't open any without me,' I gave them a stern look, smiling when they promised they wouldn't.

'Do you need a hand?' Derek asked and I looked over to him to see he was nervous. Why, I had no idea, but I offered him a comforting smile and took his hand to pull him upstairs with me.

I gestured for him to hold out his hands and started piling presents onto his arms strategically. My hands paused at the wrapped up scrapbook that I had made for Derek and I carefully placed that on my bed, winking at him when he sent me a questioning look. Once he had reached his full capacity I managed to juggle the rest of the gifts and I headed out of the door first, Derek carefully following behind me. It was adorable how much concentration he was putting into not dropping any of the presents I had supplied him with.

'Woah, Stacey!' Scott gaped at the amount of presents I was carrying and when he saw Derek following in behind me with more gifts, his jaw dropped open.

I ignored his reaction and carefully distributed the correct presents to the correct piles, when I was finished I went to sit by mine and waited for mom to say we could dig in.

'Go ahead everyone.' She smiled, looking a little excited herself.

I grinned and started unwrapping, sneaking looks at everyone else as they opened their own presents. Scott opened the new lacrosse stick I had gotten for him, mom opened a new bottle of her favorite perfume and Derek opened his new black leather jacket. I couldn't have wiped the smile off my face if I tried; that right there in that moment was why I loved Christmas. The smell of the turkey cooking lingered in the air, the sounds of Christmas music and paper being torn played on my ears and the happiness on the faces of people I loved all made the day perfect.

I felt incredibly spoiled as I finished opening my presents. Scott had gotten me some new sweats, Deadpool on DVD and Eminem's new album. Mom had gotten me a new leather jacket, some of my favourite perfume and some white high-topped converse. Stiles and the Sheriff had gotten me a high school musical case for my phone, a new notebook and some high-end pens that I was already itching to write with.

I was feeling incredibly grateful as I went to the kitchen to get a garbage bag to dispose of all the wrapping paper. When I returned to the living room I frowned in confusion when I noticed that Derek was missing, but his pile of presents were still where he had left them after opening them. I had gotten him an array of things ranging from a new jacket to the newest CD that Shawn Mendez had released; he hadn't had it yet and I knew he would like it. I'd also gotten him a couple of tickets to his upcoming concert in California, remembering when he had mentioned how much he loved seeing him perform. He seemed to like it and I smiled as I remembered the surprise and gratitude on his face as he opened everything.

'I'm gonna get started on dinner okay?' I murmured, mentally running through everything I needed to do—most of it was ready. I'd chopped the vegetables, potatoes and everything yesterday; I just needed to turn them all on.

'Okay, sweetie. I'll take your stuff up to your room.' Mom smiled, offering me a kiss on the cheek as I passed by her.

I smiled back and tied the garbage bag to prevent the rubbish from falling out as I headed to the kitchen. Mom had refused to let me cook the dinner at first, insisting that it was a holiday and she should prepare it, being as she was the mom of the house. But I told her that I liked cooking and the Christmas day dinner was honestly one of my favourite meals to prepare, so we had reached a compromise. I'd cook and she would wash and dry the dishes with my brother's help. It sounded like a pretty fair deal to me. I was humming under my breath and turning the hobs onto the right heat when I felt another presence join me in the kitchen. I looked over my shoulder to see Derek standing there, his arms crossed over his chest and a soft smile playing on the corners of his lips.

'Where did you go?' I wondered, making sure everything was cooking properly before turning to face him, my back leaning against the counter behind me.

'I went to go and get my presents out of the car.' He told me, smiling at my surprise.

'You didn't have to get me any presents.' I murmured, crossing my arms and trying to generate some warmth on the tops of my arms—I'd gone all cold for some reason. It might have had something to do with the fact I was wearing shorts.

'Yes I did. And not just you. Your mom and Scott have already opened their presents.' He said, coming to stand right in front of me, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

'Okay, based on your current behaviour, I'm not sure I want whatever you're planning to give me.' I said, pushing myself up so I was now sitting on the counter, my legs swinging back and forth.

He laughed and I felt my expression soften at the sound. He extended his right arm and opened his palm to reveal a small square shaped box secured with a red ribbon. I cocked my brow, but I couldn't contain the excited smile that formed on my face as I gently took the box from his hand. I slowly untied the ribbon and lifted off the lid to reveal a key. I frowned in confusion and looked up to him for an explanation. He simply offered me a smile and his hand, which I took, allowing him to help me from the counter and lead me to the front door.

'I don't get it, Derek.' I murmured, stepping closer to his side to steal his body heat when he opened the front door. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder to allow me further access and I squeezed his waist in appreciation.

Just as I was about to ask him what was going on, I caught sight of a big red bow, the same colour that matched the ribbon that had been tied around the gift box. I felt my jaw drop and my eyes widen in disbelief. He had gotten me a _car_. And not just any car, it was a Camaro, the same make and model as his but it was a dark blue. I looked in between the car and the key in my hand, still not quite believing what was happening.

'Derek, I—,' he must have been expecting my protests because he cut them off by placing his index finger to my lips.

'Don't even think about it, Stacey. I got this car for you, because you deserve it and there is nothing that you could say to get me to change my mind so don't even try,' he gave me a stern look that made my hesitation waver.

I wrapped my other arm around him and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug, trying to tell him how grateful I was without words. He returned my embrace, his thumbs moving back and forth where they rested on my back.

'Thank you.' I whispered, blinking away the tears that wanted to fall down my cheeks.

'You're welcome.' He murmured back.

I don't know how long we stood there for but eventually we pulled apart. Derek softly closed the door and I shot him a grin as we headed back to the living room.

'I'll take you for a spin later.' I said, twirling the key around my index finger.

'Why do I get the feeling I probably shouldn't have gotten you a high-powered sports car?' he asked, shaking his head in reprimand. I simply laughed in response and joined Scott and my mom in the living room where they were just about to start a Christmas movie—Elf.

Scott was on the armchair again and Mom was sat on the far right of the sofa. I sat down next to her with Derek sitting on my left. Before I could even think about doing it, I was snuggled into Derek's side with his arm around my waist. It was strange, like we were so used to each other now that our bodies moved without our brains even having to consider it. As I looked around the room at that moment I found myself incredibly grateful for the people in my life, ones that had always been there, and Derek who had come into the picture quite recently. He had become my best friend and I couldn't explain how or why I was so comfortable around him, I just was. I was so glad I'd found him.

Xxx

'That was amazing!' I exclaimed, more than a little buzzed on adrenaline.

Derek and I had just gotten back from taking my new car for a spin. Lets just say it could go _pretty_ fast.

'Just promise me one thing, Stacey.' Derek's serious voice attracted my attention and I looked over to where he was hanging his brand new leather jacket up on the back of my door.

'Sure, what is it?' I asked, kicking off my shoes and moving to pull out some pajamas. I settled on the sweatpants I'd stolen from Derek and the shirt he had been wearing most of the day. It smelled like him and it was still warm seeing as he'd just shrugged it off.

'Be careful when you're driving. I know you're a wolf and you heal faster than humans but that doesn't make you invincible.' He murmured as I stepped into the bathroom to change. I paused with my shirt over my head, my expression softening as I quickly dressed.

'I promise.' I said, meaning it. My heart squeezed that he cared enough to make me swear I'd be careful and I placed a kiss to his cheek on my way to the bed in thanks.

I heard his heart beat quicken for a moment before it slowed to its regular rhythm. I bit my lip when I saw Derek's final present resting on the bottom of my bed where I had left it earlier. I picked it up and turned to face him with an unsure expression on my face, which he noticed because he stopped in his tracks and came to stand next to me in concern.

'What is it?'

'I—I have another present for you but I didn't want to give it to you before because it's personal and I didn't think you'd want to open it in front of everyone else. You might not even want to open it in front of me and that's okay, but I thought it was something you'd like.' I took a deep breath to calm myself and handed him the present. I moved to get into bed, not wanting to pressure him into opening it now when he caught my hand to stop me.

I felt my nerves grow when he tore away the paper, gently placing it on the bed and revealing a black binder album. He gave me a curious look and opened it to reveal the first page, which was when I heard his breath catch in his throat. He lowered himself to sit on the end of my bed, I didn't think he was aware of the movement but I went with him, squeezing his hand in comfort. The first picture was the group shot Cora and I had managed to get everyone to pose for. After that there were ones of Cora and I with different family members individually, ones of Cora opening presents, blowing out her candles, getting cake mushed into her face by Derek and finally pictures Cora and I had taken together. I wasn't sure about adding those, but I didn't think it was fair to keep pictures of his sister from him because I was embarrassed of my younger self.

Derek was quiet for a long time as he studied the images. Some pictures he stared at longer than others, as if he were lost in a memory much like I had been the first time I'd looked through them. Sometimes his hand would come out and touch the picture as if he were hoping the movement would transport him into the memory, when it didn't he moved onto the next and repeated the process. The very last picture was Cora, Tommy, the twins and Derek with Talia and Dale. All were grinning at the camera; it was a genuine smile that I was pretty sure I inspired by pulling funny faces behind the lens. My head rested on his shoulder comfortably, not wanting to rush him in any way. I remained silent and looked through the album with him.

'Thank you, Stacey.' He said, his voice breaking over my name.

'You're welcome.' I murmured softly, lifting my head from his shoulder as he gently, but reluctantly closed the book.

He placed it on my dresser after letting go of my hand to move to what I was coming to consider as his side of the bed. I followed suit and slipped under the covers, my eyes closing as the exhaustion caught up with me. Today had been perfect. After Elf we had dinner and Derek and I had gone for a ride in my new car while Scott and mom cleaned up the kitchen. Time had gotten away from us as I tested the limits of my baby and night had fallen by the time we had returned. Mom and my twin were already in bed and so we'd made our way up too.

Derek pulled me to his chest as he climbed in beside me and I went willingly, nuzzling into his chest and sighing in appreciation due to the warmth his body was exhibiting. He was my own personal hot water bottle and comfort blanket rapped into one, and I was pretty sure he thought of me the same way. Derek sharing my bed was becoming a frequent thing and when he did, I slept better than I did when he was gone. To be honest I was growing accustomed to his presence and when he was absent I tossed and turned before falling into a restless nights sleep. I sighed happily when Derek's hand started moving gently through my hair; I was powerless to ignore the pure relaxation that washed over me and I happily surrendered to unconsciousness.

Niños— children

 **This is the second and final part of the Christmas episodes! I hope you enjoyed them because I really enjoyed writing them and exploring Stacey and Derek's relationship further. The next update will be the first episode of season two! See you there ;)**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**


	14. Omega Part One

Chapter Fourteen

'What do you mean she's gone?' I frowned, hoping that what Stiles had just told me was some kind of joke I wasn't getting.

'She's gone. There was a scream and I rushed in there with your Mom and her Dad.' I could hear the stress in his voice, 'Stace, the shower was running, the window was open but she was gone. I don't know what to do.'

'Mechi, listen to my voice,' I murmured, recognising the spike of anxiety in his voice, 'take a deep breath, in through your nose out through your mouth. Do it now.' I could hear him complying and when he continued without incident I relaxed slightly as I rooted for my car keys in my room.

'Scott and I will be there in like ten minutes. Try and find something we can use for her scent, okay?' I said, making sure to keep my voice gentle as I rushed into my twin's room and threw his shoes at him. He raised his brow in question but slipped on the shoes, noticing my erratic behaviour.

'Thanks Stace. I'll get her gown and wait for you out front.' He hung up before I could say anything but I wasn't surprised. He had one goal in that moment and it was to find Lydia and honestly I could feel the same determination swimming in my stomach.

'Stace, what's going on?' my twin asked, his chocolate eyes filled with worry.

'Lydia went missing from the hospital. We need to find her, come on.' I grabbed his hand and tugged him to my car, tossing him my keys and explaining when I saw the flare of surprise on his face, 'I'm not in the right state of mind to drive.'

Scott squeezed my hand before letting go so we could both get into appropriate sides of the car. The journey was spent in silence with Scott sending me concerned looks that I didn't have it in me to address and me refusing to consider an option where we didn't find Lydia to return her home safe and sound. I refused to consider another option. I'd barely survived Cora. Lydia was one of the first female friends I'd made since losing my best friend and I was going to make damned sure I wouldn't lose her to. Not just for me, for Stiles, for Allison, for everyone. I felt determination flare through me and I pushed down my feelings of concern and fear, knowing I needed to focus completely. I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket just as we pulled into the hospital and I almost didn't answer it, thinking it could have been Stiles and we were about to see him anyway. But when I pulled it out and saw Derek's name flashing across the screen I was glad I did.

'You wanna go and get Stiles?' I murmured, noticing the hyperactive boy hadn't come out yet.

'Sure. We won't be long.' Scott assured me, jumping from the car in one swift movement. I clicked answer and lifted the device to my ear.

'Hey Der.' I mumbled after taking a deep breath, trying to collect myself.

'What's wrong?' he asked and I felt the protective walls I'd built up around myself crumble. Just like that. Surly that wasn't normal?

'It's Lydia, she went missing from the hospital.' I whispered, afraid he'd hear the emotion in my voice if I spoke louder.

'What happened?' I felt my heart warm in my chest; he sounded worried _and_ he cared enough to ask.

'We don't know. Stiles was here and he heard her scream. When they went in to see what was wrong, the shower was running, the window was open and she was gone.' I wiped a stray tear away from my cheek in annoyance.

'You're looking for her?' he guessed, I could hear shuffling in the background.

'Yeah. We're just picking Stiles up, he's getting something with her scent.' I saw them both coming outside and climbed out of the car, taking my keys from the driver's seat where Scott had tossed them.

'I'm on my way.' He said, his tone leaving no room for argument. I felt my whole body freeze, halfway out of the car. My left foot was still on the car and my left hand was holding the door as I used it to prop myself out. My whole chest warmed and my heartbeat picked up because I knew he wasn't offering because he particularly cared about Lydia. He cared because I did. For the first time in what felt like forever a small smile formed on my face, snapping me out of my trance and I fully stepped out of the car, softly closing the door.

'Are you sure? Argent might be out looking for her seeing as she was bitten by Peter.' I bit my lip, worry for him adding to the concern I had for my strawberry blonde friend.

'Give me ten minutes.' He said and hung up the phone, clearly not concerned for his own safety.

I rolled my eyes fondly and shoved my phone into the back pocket of my jeans. I was wearing black high-waisted skinny jeans with a baggy baby pink jumper and my leather jacket and boots. Perfect for what we were gonna be doing, I guess.

'Who was that?' Stiles asked, and I could immediately see his concern crinkling at the corners of his eyes.

'Derek. He's gonna come and help.' I said, walking over to him and giving him a hug, knowing whether he admitted it or not he needed some form of comfort in that moment.

'Great. It's good to have an extra nose on this.' Scott breathed a sigh of relief, happy that the expectation wasn't going to be resting solely on his shoulders.

Stiles' arms wound around my waist and gripped onto me tightly as a large sigh left him; I was happy to feel him relax a little. He had the bad habit of bottling everything up and it left him jittery and constantly anxious; if I could relieve him of some of it I wasn't going to complain.

'We're going to find her, Stiles. I promise.' I murmured to him before pulling away.

'Thanks Stace,' he squeezed my hand before releasing me.

'Did you get it?' Scott asked, drawing Stiles' sad eyes to him.

Stiles released a deep breath and tossed him the medical bag with Lydia's hospital gown inside of it. My twin opened it and inhaled the different scents contained within the fabric before passing it to me. I had just finished doing the same when I felt the presence of Derek before I saw him. He came from behind me and placed a supportive hand on the small of my back. I looked up to him and offered him a forced smile that he saw right through; his eyes softened and his thumb moved back and forth where it rested at the base of my spine.

'How are we gonna do this?' Stiles asked, breaking Derek and I out of our stare off. I looked over to my hyperactive friend to see him running his hand across his buzz-cut.

'I think we should split up, we have Stacey's car and the Jeep, so we can cover more ground.' Scott said, glancing over to Derek and I for our response.

'Sounds good to me.' I agreed, looking up to see the new alpha nodding his assent.

'Great, let us know where you end up.' I said, handing Derek my keys to let him drive.

'What do you mean?' Scott frowned, probably assuming that we'd end up in the same place.

'Lydia lives in Beacon Hills, so her scent is going to be all over town, some might be fresher, but chances are we're going to be finding a lot of dead ends.' Derek explained, accepting my keys and winding his arm fully around my waist when I shivered.

'Great. Well then we better get moving.' Stiles sighed, heading to his Jeep.

'We'll take the scents to the North and West, you take South and East.' Derek yelled out to my twin and Stiles before leading me over to my car and opening up the passenger door for me to climb in. I did so gratefully, pulling on my seatbelt and breathing in the hospital gown I was still holding again.

'How are you doing?' Derek asked softly when he climbed into the drivers seat. He wound down the window, started the engine and began driving, while I looked out of the window.

'I-I don't know how I'm doing,' I answered honestly, I was feeling massively overwhelmed in that moment, 'I just need to focus on finding her.'

'We'll find her, Stace.' His free hand found mine and it remained there until we reached the school—it was the strongest scent, but seeing as she came here five times a week it wasn't that much of a surprise. He pulled up into a free space and released my hand so that we could both climb out of the car. We met at the front and looked up to the school with a sigh.

'She's not going to be here.' I murmured, but a thought popped into my head that made my stomach drop. She was bitten here. In the lacrosse field. My legs were moving before I could even think to tell them to, I heard Derek call my name but I just kept going. I knew he would follow me, and I'd explain my thoughts as soon as I got to the field. Everything was dark, but it didn't matter because my supernatural senses were helping me see everything clearly. I reached the end of the corridor and pushed open the double doors with enough force that they hit the brick walls with a THUD. I didn't pause and before I knew it, I was standing at the edge of the lacrosse field, staring at the person standing in the centre in disbelief.

'Stacey?' Derek breathed from beside me, when he finally caught up. I couldn't look away, not believing what I was seeing. My hand found Derek's forearm, my nails digging into the flesh.

'Lydia?' Derek sounded surprised himself, before he shouted a little louder, 'Lydia?'

The strawberry blonde was shaking from head to toe, her skin was stained with dirt and her hair was overridden with twigs and leaves. That finally seemed to snap me out of it.

'Lydia?' I said softly, taking a step closer to her before pausing and turning back to look at Derek, 'can I have your jacket?'

I noticed that since Lydia had turned around, he had averted his eyes from her, which I knew she would appreciate. He shrugged off his jacket and handed it to me before completely turning around. A small fond smile formed on my face, but my expression soon transformed back into concern when I faced my friend again.

'Stacey?' Lydia's small voice drew my attention back to her.

'You're okay, we're going to take you home, or maybe back to the hospital, I'm not completely sure yet.' I said, wrapping Derek's leather jacket around her shoulders and zipping it up for her, once she had put her arms through the holes.

'I don't want to go back to the hospital.' She shook her head, but she walked with me and snuggled closer to my side in an attempt to ward of the cold.

'Okay. We'll go back to mine, I just need to call your mom to tell her you're fine.' I murmured, calling for the alpha to follow us.

Lydia fell asleep almost immediately when we got her into the car. I turned the heat on full blast, knowing she was nearly hypothermic, and called her mom on the way to my house. She was understandably relieved, and agreed to let Lydia sleep over at my house for the night while she handled the hospital and the cops. Once I hung up with her, I called Stiles and the relief in his tone was palpable. I was honestly expecting him to be speeding to my house as soon as I hung up the phone. I felt a long sigh leave me as I placed my phone into the cup holder.

'Better?' Derek asked.

'So much.' I agreed, offering him a small but genuine smile of pure relief.

'What do you think happened?' he wondered, his eyes flickering to the rear-view mirror before moving back to the road.

'I was going to ask you that actually.' I admitted, brining the sleeves of my jumper down to cover my hands, 'this all started from the bite Peter gave her. She should be going through what Scott and I went through, but her wound is healing at the normal rate and she's not rejecting the bite either. Or is she? Is it more of a progressive thing or does it just happen?'

A shadow of despair fell over Derek's face, and my hand was on top of his before I could even think about putting it there. Before I could ask him what was wrong, he answered my question, his hand gripping mine tightly.

'She was bitten over a month ago. If her body were going to reject the bite, it would have by now. It's almost as if she's immune.' He murmured, sounding at a loss.

'Is that possible?' I frowned.

'I've never heard of it…' I could hear his scepticism in his tone; Derek had been born into the supernatural world, so if he came across something he'd never heard of before he was a little cynical.

'That doesn't mean it isn't possible.' I reminded him, my tone a little amused, 'we'll have to look into it. That bite might not have turned her into a wolf, but it did something to her. It's almost like a dormant gene.'

Derek looked over to me, his brows furrowed together in confusion, silently asking me to elaborate.

'I was reading a scientific research study that proved that cancer is a gene that everyone has, but just lays dormant until it is activated by something. Now this something can be literally anything; a bump to the head, a blood transfusion… what if the bite activated a dormant gene in her DNA?'

'Do you think it's a supernatural gene?' he looked over to me and I saw his eyes light with realisation, 'it would make sense, Peter biting her was intentional, he wouldn't have done it if he didn't want to get something out of it.'

'So you're saying that there is a chance Peter knew something we didn't when he bit her?' my teeth sank into my lower lip when Derek offered me a grim nod, and I looked over to the blissfully unaware strawberry blonde sleeping in the back seat.

'Whatever it is, we'll figure it out.' Derek assured me.

'We need to tell her, don't we?' I murmured, my eyes sheening over with tears.

'It would be a good idea,' the alpha said, tightening his hold on my hand even more. I quickly wiped away the tears that spilled over onto my cheeks.

'What if she finds out and then she's afraid of me? What if she doesn't want anything to do with me?' I said so quietly I half hoped he wouldn't be able to hear me; it felt so stupid to say it out loud, but I valued Lydia more than I had let on and the possibility of losing her was making my heart squeeze painfully in my chest.

I thought that the alpha hadn't picked up on my words of insecurity when he didn't answer, but when he pulled into my drive a few minutes later, he turned off the engine and turned to face me with a determined expression. He took my other free hand in his so that he was now holding them both, tightly but not enough to be painful.

'I won't lie to you, I have had some people react badly when I've told them what I am, but it's very rare for them to turn their back after the shock wears off. If Lydia is truly your friend, once she's gotten over the disbelief, she'll come around. If she doesn't then she'll be losing someone pretty amazing.' His voice was dripping with honesty and passion and by the time he had finished I was taken aback by the power of his words.

I didn't realise how close we had gotten until his forehead brushed up against mine. I heard myself gasp at the warmth that travelled through my body from the action and I remember wanting to move forward, to feel his lips against mine, but the moment was broken by Lydia shifting in the backseat. I pulled back first, releasing Derek's hands with a gentle squeeze and offered him a thankful smile that he returned. The disappointment that appeared in my stomach surprised me, but I pushed it to the back of my mind, not ready to consider those feelings.

'Stacey?' Lydia groaned, drawing my attention to her.

'I'm here,' I assured her, climbing out of the car and helping her get out from the backseat.

'I'm freezing.' She said, her teeth chattering s she clung to me, once again taking my body heat.

'I know, we're gonna get you inside and I'm gonna run you a red hot bath, okay?' I murmured, rubbing my hand up and down her arm.

Once I got her inside, Derek offered to make some tea while I led Lydia upstairs. She had returned to being catatonic now and so I gently sat her on the end of my bed while I went into the bathroom to start running the bath. Once everything was set up, I went back into my room and started removing the twigs and leaves from her hair. When they were all gone, I threw them in the trash and gently ran a brush through her hair to get the knots out of it. By the time that was done, the bath was also full. I turned off the water and led Lydia into the bathroom, after removing the jacket from her shoulders, I helped her into the water and went to leave but she grabbed my arm in a fierce grip.

'Don't leave me.' She murmured, her voice taught with emotion.

'Okay.' I agreed, kneeling down at the side of the bath and helping her clean her hair and rid herself of the dirt all over her body.

'The bathwater was dark and there was hair everywhere.' She murmured, sounding hysterical and looking down at her hands.

'Lydia, you're all right, everything is going to be okay, we're going to figure out what happened. I promise.' I assured her, stroking her hair in comfort.

'When he bit me his eyes glowed red,' she looked over to me, her eyes shining with vulnerability.

'I believe you.' I told her, because I did.

Before I could blink, Lydia was hugging me fiercely and sobbing into my neck. Clearly she wasn't expecting that response, and I was glad to offer her some assurance that she wasn't going crazy. There was something more going on, mostly what she didn't know, but I planned on telling her that when she was feeling a little better. I held her for as long as she needed, and when she was all cried out I helped her out of the bath and wrapped her in my bathrobe. By that point, she had come back to herself enough to blow dry her hair. I pulled out some of my pyjamas; some sweat pants and one of Stiles' old hoodies. After I laid it out at the end of my bed I heard footsteps approaching my bedroom door. Before they could knock, I stepped out into the hall while Lydia finished her hair, and found Derek holding a couple mugs of tea. I smiled gratefully and accepted a mug from him.

'Thank you, not just for the tea, but for coming to help tonight.' I told him, feeling my heart skip a beat when he offered me a sincere bashful smile.

'Don't worry about it.' he murmured, gesturing to my closed bedroom door with his chin, 'how is she?'

'Better, I think. She mentioned being bit by something with red eyes and she seemed relieved that I believed her. I think I'm going to wait until tomorrow to tell her everything, she's been through enough tonight.' I sighed, suddenly feeling massively exhausted.

Today had been my first day off after doing back-to-back shifts for most of winter break, and I supposed that the exhaustion was catching up with me. I took a sip of my drink and was surprised when I tasted coffee. Derek smiled when he saw my look.

'I thought you could use the coffee, I figured you'd be pretty tired.'

I felt my heartbeat quicken. Derek freaking Hale. He was an enigma, he was thoughtful, sweet, loyal, reliable, funny, his smile had the ability to render me speechless and I was pretty sure I was falling in love with him. As soon as that thought entered my mind, I shook it away, not ready or willing to accept that yet.

'You're the best person ever, thank you.' I told him, meaning every word.

Before he could respond, we heard two sets of footsteps barrelling up the stairs and turned just in time to see Stiles and Scott approaching.

'Woah, woah, woah slow down.' I warned them, not wanting either drinks to be spilled or my bedroom door to have two human shaped holes in it.

'Is she okay? What happened? Where did you find her?' Stiles asked, not pausing for breath.

'She's fine, I'm not sure and we found her at the school.' I answered him calmly, urging him to calm down with a hand on his shoulder.

'Can I see her?' he looked like he was ready to shove me out of the way either way, but I stood my ground.

'I'll ask her, let me just make sure she's decent.' I murmured, swapping my mug for Lydia's mug, offering Derek yet another thankful smile as I did.

I could hear Stiles asking what I had meant by 'decent' but I tuned their conversation out as I entered my room and gently closed the door behind me.

I found the strawberry blonde sat in the middle of my bed, fiddling with the sleeves of the hoodie I had lent her. It seemed as if she were in a world of her own. I came and sat next to her, slowly and gently, not wanting to scare her in any way.

'Lydia, how are you doing?' I murmured softly, noting that it had gone quiet in the hallway; I assumed Scott and Derek were eavesdropping right now.

'I'm okay.' She answered, her voice nowhere near as shaky as it had been. I could see the resolve in her eyes when she looked up; she was determined to not let what had happened to her rule her. Lydia Martin was strong; I had known that for a long time.

'I bought you some tea; encase your still a little cold. Derek made it for you.' I handed her the mug and she accepted it gratefully, a devious glint in her eyes that made me wary.

'Is Derek still here?' she asked innocently. Too innocently.

'Yeah, and Scott and Stiles just got back too, are you up for visitors?' I asked, trying to distract her but it was a lost cause.

'In a minute. I want you to tell me about Derek.' She smirked.

'Why, you interested? I don't think he's seeing anyone…' I murmured, desperately trying to seem casual, even if the idea of them together made me feel nauseous.

'Mhm, nice try Stacey McCall, just a friend my ass.' She lightly slapped my arm and I felt a groan fall out of my lips.

'Lydia—,' I tried to stop her, but apparently she was on a roll.

'No, don't even try it. I saw the way you were looking at each other at the lacrosse field,' she grinned like the cat who ate the canary.

'I literally have no idea what you're talking about.' I lied, cringing at how insincere my voice sounded.

'What gives?' She said, noting that I was fidgeting a little bit.

'Nothing, I just think you should see Stiles before it gets too late.' I said, moving to stand, 'I'll go and get him.'

I was very aware that both Derek and Scott could hear the conversation and it was making me nervous and irrational. I wanted to get away from the inquisition, but I was also kind of afraid to face the alpha and my twin. I took a deep breath and shook away my fears; there was nothing to be nervous about. This was _Derek_ for goodness sake. I didn't need to be embarrassed.

'Stiles was looking for me?' she murmured, just as I touched the door handle. I looked at her over my shoulder and smiled.

'Yeah he did. He was worried sick about you.' I told her, happy to see a flush appear on her cheeks, 'I'll send him in.' I winked and laughed when she sent me an unimpressed look.

'Stacey,' she called just as I pulled the door open, I paused, 'thank you, for looking after me.'

'You're welcome, sweetie.' I told her, meaning every word.

I was surprised and relieved to see that the hallway was empty; maybe they hadn't been listening after all. I focused my hearing and realised they wee downstairs, in the kitchen.

' _Dude, she won't give up until you've seen it,' Scott said, I could hear a smile in his voice._

' _Seriously, and before you know it you'll know all of the words to all of the songs.' Stiles was probably shaking his head in that moment, 'that's how it started for me.'_

' _Please, you're just as bad as she is!' Scott exclaimed suddenly, and I swore I heard Derek snort in amusement._

' _You two are like kindred spirits.' Derek mused, elaborating after a second, 'you two act like you're the twins.'_

' _He's right.' Scott agreed, probably smirking._

' _You're just bitter because we're awesome and you both—,' Stiles didn't finish his sentence._

By this point I'd reached the bottom of the stairs, and the pause in conversation told me they'd all realised it. Stiles came bursting from the kitchen before I could join them in the room. I didn't say anything and simply gestured to the stairs, he went without a word, almost tripping in the process. I shook my head fondly and headed to the kitchen to pour some more coffee down my throat. I had a feeling it was going to be a long night.

 **Chapter fourteen for you! I think I'm gonna split the first episode into two parts because it's already 4,500 words long and I have a lot more to add. I hope you like the changes, let me know what you think of this episode guys! I hope you like it, I'm really liking making changes and adding more detail. See you next time :)**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**


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